


The Hope of a People

by CC Writes (Capoeira)



Series: Our Dreams and Our Hopes [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: BAMF Connor, BAMF Jericho, Chaotic Neutral Elijah, Connor Deserves Happiness, Dub-Con Interfacing, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Manipulation, Flashbacks, Hank Anderson and Connor are Family, Identity Issues, Josh is a relevant character, Manipulative Connor, Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Deserves Happiness, Multi, North and Connor are Bros, Not Sexual but still there, Platonic Affection, Post-Canon, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Probably a rare pair or two sprinkled in later, Simon is a relevant character, Slow Burn, Strong Connor, There will be plenty of violent connor just you wait, jealous markus, jericrew is a bit touchy, north is amazing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:35:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21543883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capoeira/pseuds/CC%20Writes
Summary: Markus has to lead his people through the difficult journey of becoming a recognized species, worthy of respect and care. Cyberlife isn't making that easy, but he has hope.Connor is struggling with who he is, who he should be, and what he has to do to aid the revolution. How long until he can look back and not be blinded by rivers of blood?Kara, well, Kara is trying to accept that she can simply be.
Relationships: Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor/Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor, Kara/Luther (Detroit: Become Human)
Series: Our Dreams and Our Hopes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1552666
Comments: 48
Kudos: 99





	1. Moving Forward

**Author's Note:**

> A:N: So, I’d recommend reading this for some warnings along with some story stuff. I’ve played this game a good ten times, outside of doing things just to see how they’ll turn up. I fell into the FF side of this fandom extremely recently, so I apologize if any of this is similar to anyone else's work. I’ve read as much as I could to keep this as original as possible, so hopefully there’s no major similarities anywhere. 
> 
> That being said, this work will contain a mixture of in game personalities. All three main characters can do some pretty brutal stuff, and although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading them being soft and happy, or emotionally in need of comfort, this will take some of those terrible choices into play. No one here is a faultless hero, and they aren’t always going to make the right choices. Connor seems to be everyone’s favorite, and he’s mine too, but I seem to be going the unpopular route of not making him a ‘soft-boi’. (Not that I don’t love those fics, just warning you this isn’t going to be it.)
> 
> In-game choices that are important for this fic:  
> Connor never died, this Connor is -51. He befriended Hank  
> Markus led a peaceful revolution, everyone lives, he didn't push Leo.  
> No lovers path was taken. (Love North, still hella forced)  
> No one has a super strong dislike for connor among the jericrew. I've decided this based on the evidence provided in game. All knew who and what he was prior to the end of the game, but North was willing to trust and convert him. They were willing to give him leadership, even, which I think is a pretty big indicator they know what he's capable of and fully trust his deviancy. Doesn't mean there won't be issues, but don't expect any huge trust issues off the bat. 
> 
> This fic will contain real world places, some OCs are necessary because there’s no way we can go forward without a few of them. None of them will be involved in romances, none of them are taking the spotlight, but they are necessary. Luckily, I’m in Detroit often, so I know it pretty well.

**Chapter One: Moving Forward**

“Sometimes there's not a better way. Sometimes there's only the hard way.”

―  **Mary E. Pearson,The Fox Inheritance**

**_< November 12th, 2038. 12:32 A.M>_ **

Camp Number 5 was ready to be cleared. The humans had fled, leaving them without any further risk of attack due to the president’s orders. Markus observed as his people opened the gates to the camp. He clenched his fists as unclothed, skinless androids emerged from their prison to newfound freedom. He could see some of them holding their arms up to cover their chests, concerned about their modesty. He knew they must feel ashamed, as if they had anything to do with what the humans had forced upon them. For a brief moment, he felt that anger, kept buried so deeply, burn. They had protested and fought peacefully, and yet they were still forced to endure  _ this _ . 

He needed to focus, his speech had rallied the freed, a literal army stood before him. Connor had survived his mission to Cyberlife, had joined them on the impromptu stage with only a hint of discomfort. But he fit into their leadership easily, Markus could already see how the future would shift with his added guidance. Would he be more like North, or Josh? Perhaps like Simon, or someone all of his own. 

Markus wanted to clear out the other camps, launch a campaign across the city, but if Perkins hadn’t been lying, they were gone. Trekking across town with this many people would be...difficult, and not everyone was physically able. He’d been shot, even now his thirium levels were dropping, but some of them were fading even faster. 

He couldn’t risk their lives for something that may not turn out well. He couldn’t set out to free the other camps, not now. 

He needed to lead them to safety, but there was no way they’d all fit into the church. They’d barely fit when it was only a few hundred survivors from Jericho. Strange how it had only been a day, yet it felt like weeks had passed since then. He found himself missing the ship, missing that feeling of security. They’d lost so many, including Lucy. If only she could be here now.

But they needed to move forward, and to do that, they’d need something larger than a half rotting church. 

He couldn’t see past the field of white and blue that adorned the freed androids, and he found himself opening the connection to privately speak with his team. He turned to face them, looking to Connor. Josh and Simon felt the communication open, and shifted their gaze to their direction. North, ever vigilant, kept her eyes on the crowd. Ready to defend Markus in case a human set off an assassination attempt, but her head was tilted slightly, inclined as if to listen in.

_ <<How many did you free?>> _

Connor, he observed, was closer to the edge of the stage than the rest of them, as if ready to jump off and flee. His form was tense, only his hands giving away his discomfort, thumbs smoothing against his fingers in a finicky gesture. No doubts to his deviancy then, no machine would do something like that.

_ <<In total: 2,567.>> _

Even within their communication, his voice was strong, settled. Not betraying the subtle anxiety he must be feeling. Markus had been programmed to see the small physical cues in people, and wondered if Connor even knew he was doing it. Why was he so nervous? 

_ <<So many?>> _ Josh exhaled, eyes glancing away towards the crowd for a brief moment. A smile grew on his face as he met Connor’s gaze.  _ <<Good Job, Connor.>> _

Connor nodded, but pursed his lips as he communicated again. 

_ <<I would have freed more, but time was short.>> _ he looked back to Markus.  _ <<I was kept updated on your situation. When they locked you in, I decided it was better to bring who I could.>> _

_ <<Good instincts.>> _ came North’s wireless voice, although she didn’t look their way. 

Simon seemed unsure, even as he voiced what they all had probably realized. 

_ << There’s no way we can fit them all in the church.>> _

_ <<Then we go somewhere else.>> _ North wasn’t standing for his uncertainty tonight, crossing her arms in a show of confidence rather than stress. 

_ <<But where?>> _ Josh reasoned,  _ <<How are we going to find a place to fit this many people? Between the camps, our own, and the recently freed cyberlife androids…>> _

_ <<They won’t survive in this.>> _ North argued.  _ <<Most of them are too young to have any clue what to do outside of their programming. If we tell them to find their own way, the humans will get them.>> _

_ <<Or cyberlife.>> _ Connor agreed. Markus noted his LED was twirling yellow. What exactly was he searching? _ <<They’d jump on the chance to get their product back.>> _

North scowled, but didn’t comment.

_ <<The cold will likely be a danger as well.>> _ Markus conveyed,  _ <<It’s going to heavily snow for the rest of the night, and tomorrow it’s supposed to rain as well.>> _

Connor shifted, LED back to a calm blue as a small, somewhat smug smile formed on his face. 

_ <<I may have found a place.>> _ he blinked briefly as he sent over the information, and Markus saw a small photo pop up in his HUD. 

_ <<The Packard Automotive Plant?>> _ he questioned, then searched on his own to see more on the location. 

Twenty minute walk, abandoned, a large grouping of buildings, definitely large enough to fit all of them, if a bit exposed.

_ <<It was renovated in 2025,>> _ Connor explained.  _ <<New roofing, windows, wiring, but the company went bankrupt during renovation.>> _

_ <<The neighbourhoods around it are abandoned, too.>> _ Simon commented, a hopeful glint reaching his eyes.  _ <<No humans, no risk of them seeing us.>> _

_ <<We’d be able to see for miles with that much roof space.>> _ North agreed.  _ <<Security would be easy to set up there.>> _

_ <<Markus?>> _ Josh called.  _ <<What do you think?>> _

Markus couldn’t stop the smile, the confidence he felt with trusting Connor growing as he formulated a plan to take them to their new home. 

_ <<I think we should go.>> _ he met Connor’s eyes, and told him.  _ <<Good work, Connor.>> _

Connor’s expression was hard to describe, looking both happy and remorseful at the same time. But he nodded, breaking eye contact with Markus after a brief moment. 

“North,” he called, speaking out loud. “ Gather whoever you can of your security detail that’s well enough to scout ahead. We need the safest route to get there with this many people.” 

“Yes, Markus.” she responded, and without further ado jumped down from the stage, already heading to a small group of androids waiting near the front. 

“Simon.” He continued. “We need to find transport for the wounded, work with our people to find something untrackable and reliable enough to get them there. We want to avoid unnecessary risks.” 

“Of course.” he agreed, and followed North’s cue of jumping down. LED shifting yellow to communicate with those that he needed. 

“Josh, I need you to find people willing to head back to the church and the safe houses we’ve kept and gather every bit of supplies you can. We have a lot of injured, we’ll need everything we’ve got.” 

“I’m on it.” He said, then he turned to Connor, his hand reaching out to grasp his shoulder. “Thank you for coming back.” 

He jumped down quickly, Connor’s surprised expression being the only thing to show he’d even spoken. 

Finally, Markus turned to Connor, and stepped closer to him. 

“You, I need to help with our recently freed.” he explained. “I can’t open communication with all of them, not yet. It would take time that we don’t have.”

“I already have their information due to interfacing with them.” Connor agreed, “What would you like me to tell them?” 

“See if any of them want to help, direct them to the people they need to see.” 

Connor nodded, and closed his eyes. LED shifting to show he was communicating. When Markus glanced into the crowd, he saw as every light in their new additions changed to match.

It was strange, seeing it happen all at once. On the ship, normally people were separated when he was doing mass communication. It had taken a long while for him to be able to speak with that many people at once and not feel...lost, when they called back. He wondered how Connor would handle it once they began to grow as people, form their attachments and gain their own personalities. 

He wondered how he’d cope when he heard the first of them die, just as Markus had. If it would tear him up just as badly inside. 

Connor opened his eyes, and spoke. 

“I have volunteers for a few separate tasks. They’ve been directed to the correct people, seems as if your people won’t have too many issues tonight.” 

Markus saw as groups marched towards the other leaders, seperating from the rest as if parting the sea. 

“So many shouldn’t have to-” 

“They’re eager to help.” Connor argued, interrupting him. “They didn’t have to fight, Markus. They... _ we _ , want to help, where we couldn’t before.” 

Markus clenched his jaw, hearing the regret color his tone. 

“You went deviant and immediately went on a suicide mission for us. You fought for us just as hard as anyone else.” Markus insisted. “Connor...no one expected you to come back, except for Josh. I didn’t even think--”

“It was reasonable to think I wouldn’t survive.” he interrupted, again. “My chances were slim, it’s true. I don’t blame you for that.” 

“I should have believed in you,” Markus argued. “I’m sorry.” 

“Your apology is unnecessary.” Connor looked away, “We should join the others. The scouts are probably going to be back soon.We should get ready to move.” 

As if she’d heard them, North made her way back onto the stage, a wide grin building on her face as she stopped in front of them. 

“My scouts just reported in, they’re at the building right now.” 

“Is it safe?” Markus questioned, and North continued. 

“They claim it’s human free. Some sections were never finished with renovations, a few buildings falling apart, but for the most part it’s stable.” she clapped Connor on the shoulder, a harsher gesture than the one Josh had given him. “We have a place to stay, for all of us.” 

Her voice was reassuring, with a proud lilt to it. Had she seen the same anxious insecurity he had? 

“Perfect.” Markus spoke, “Is everyone else ready?”

“My team, with Connor’s volunteers,” she shot him a grateful look. “Will head a few streets over on both sides as we march. They’ll keep an eye out for any humans who may want to seperate us. There’s too many of us to blindly believe those soldiers will keep to their orders.” 

Markus agreed, even if he didn’t say as much aloud. Apparently Connor did too, because he gave a brief nod. 

_ <<Any progress on your front, Josh? Simon?>> _ he sent out, the three of them waiting for a response. 

_ <<I’ve found a van>> _ Simon sent back,  _ <<It should be enough to bring the worst off. We have volunteers to carry the less wounded, and some of them created makeshift stretchers from the scrap metal and wire left behind. We should be ready.>> _

_ <<My team has already split off to gather our supplies.>> _ Josh answered after,  _ <<They’ll meet us there the moment they can. We’re ready.>> _

_ <<Meet us at the next street, then.>> _ Markus replied.  _ <<We have to keep a unified front. All of us staying together is important.>> _

**_< <Yes, Markus.>>_ ** they answered in unison, and he brought his focus back to Connor and North, who’d listened attentively. 

“I think it’s best I head a few streets up,” Connor spoke. “I can head to the roof of a nearby building and watch for any unseen threats.” 

“You should stick with us.” Markus argued, “We need you here.” 

“I have better vision than any of your security.” Connor said it matter of factly, assured of his own skill. “I was programmed for all forms of combat engagement. I’ll be able to spot a sniper faster than anyone you’ve got.” 

“He’s right, Markus.” North agreed, though he could tell she was just as uncomfortable as he was at the thought of splitting up. “You’re too important to risk. We can’t take any chances now.” 

“We should present ourselves-” 

“You won’t be able to do anything if you’re dead.” Connor interrupted, once  **_again_ ** , and already he was getting tired of it. Was he always going to be like this? He’d grown too used to how agreeable his team had become with his decision making in the end.

But, he had a point. Even if Markus didn’t like it, they were at a make or break point of the revolution. They’d been recognized as a potential intelligent species, but he was the spearhead of the movement. Recognized, spoken of, respected by some of the humans. If he died,that could easily go up in smoke, and although he believed in North, he wasn’t sure the nation would listen to her as readily as they did him. It was an uncomfortable thought.

“Fine,” He conceded. “But you stay safe, and keep your communication lines open.” 

“I will.” 

Markus sighed, unnecessary but much needed given his mental state. He hated doing this. They had just been brought back together, the five of them. In less than an hour, they were already splitting up again.

“The minute you can, join us. Run if you have to, we walk into the plant together.” 

“Agreed.”

Without further comment, Connor leapt from the stage, and within moments, he’d disappeared into the shifting sea of white. 

“He’ll be fine, Markus.” North commented, brushing a surprisingly gentle hand across his back. “After all.” she smirked, “He survived Cyberlife.” 

She jumped down from the stage, and Markus, taking a final look around, memorizing this night,  _ these people _ , one final time,followed. 

It was time to lead them to their new home. 

**_< November 12th,2038 1:35 A.M>_ **

The walk to the Plant felt as though it stretched on forever, even though they’d almost made it there. The sounds of thousands of androids crunching their way through rising snow drowning out anything else. Even though it was over, he still heard the echoes of gunshots in his mind. Perkin’s voice promising him safety in surrender, the soldiers grunting as he’d taken them down. 

His people, crying out for help as they were slaughtered. Bodies dropping lifelessly to the floor. The slow quieting of the voices in his mind.

_ <<The coast is clear.>> _ came Connor’s voice, breaking him from his thoughts.  _ <<I’m coming down now.>> _

_ <<We’re almost there.>> _ Josh sent, and Markus granted him a small, uneasy smile. 

He shouldn’t think of any of that now, he needed to press forward. Focus on what was in front of him, there’d be time to mourn later. 

He could see the plant coming into view, a large, towering testament to what Detroit had once excelled in. It was definitely in need of some help, but it was a sight better than a rotting church. In better shape than Jericho had been in,at least. 

“I’m going to miss the church.” Josh commented. “It felt...intimate.” 

“I’m going to miss Jericho.” Simon responded, sadness evident in the frown lines of his face, the drooping of his eyes. 

He’d been there the longest, after all. 

“I won’t.” North scoffed, pushing ahead just a bit. Quickening her pace. “We deserve to live in the light, just like the humans. Not hiding away in the dark.” 

“We’re still Jericho.” Markus commented, reaching a hand out to meet Simon’s, giving it a brief squeeze. “We’ll carry those memories and that hope with us, wherever we go.” 

Simon granted him a small smile, and with a grateful squeeze, released his hand. 

“But change is necessary, we were always going to have to move on, eventually.” 

“Connor!” North exclaimed,fearful, just as the man came into view, sliding down a very unsafe looking drainpipe from the building adjacent to them. Speaking of change...

“Why’d you do that!” Josh called, and looked over his hands for injuries. “You could have fallen.” 

“My probability of falling was very low, don’t worry.” Connor assured him, tilting his head in confusion. “I was told to get here as soon as I could, when cleared. The shortest path was to jump two roofs and go down the drain pipe.” 

“Did you just say you jumped two roofs?” Simon asked in disbelief, eyes widened. 

Markus shared the sentiment, concern and just a tad bit of irritation building within him. Why would he do something so stupidly dangerous? 

“Connor.” Markus started, “You shouldn’t do things like that, you can’t say it’s too risky for me to walk down a street while jumping rooftops.” 

“But you specifically said to come back as quickly as possible.” He argued. “That was the fastest route.” 

“Probably the most dangerous, too.” North said, choking back shocked laughter. 

“I was perfectly safe.”

Markus resisted the urge to run his hand down his face, maybe rub his temples to release some stress. 

“Next time, keep yourself safe.” He left no room for argument. “If it’s something you’d object to me doing, don’t do it.” 

Connor opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it, because he stopped, tension in the lines of his brow. Obviously, talking of _ himself _ in danger was going to be a quick way to get through to him. Markus had to remind himself that Connor was only a day old deviant, he still had a lot to learn.

The famous rebuilt bridge between buildings became visible before them, the lettering ‘Packard’ in purple stone bright against the water stained stone, and Markus stopped. This would be a good place for his people to seperate, get settled in, choose their places for the night. 

<<Tell your groups to find their places, we’ll reorganize in the morning. Anyone injured needs to go into the closest section on our right.>> he gestured, glad the scouts had opened any locked doors and cleared entrances as they’d walked here. <<It’ll be easier to get the help they need that way.>>

Every one of them, including himself, communicated the instructions out. Markus knew he’d have to re-establish total communication as soon as he could, the moment he had time, he’d do so. But for now this would work. 

Their people passed by, some going into the left building, some walking down the street to further doors, and others, obviously injured, went to the right. 

He wanted to organize, assign areas, duties. Already he was getting ahead of himself, knowing they needed to be prepared for the worst. 

But Markus was injured, and no matter how stubbornly he denied it, he needed to be patched up, just as the others did. But they wouldn’t go to the makeshift infirmary Simon’s team was likely already setting up. They’d rely on each other, tonight. He didn’t want them separated again so soon. 

_ <<I have a place for you to rest, Markus.>> _ came the communication from the head of North’s security. He sent forward the location, and Markus glanced upwards, the roof on the right had a small building, suitable for them to rest in. North knew he preferred the highest location available, and she must have passed along that information. 

_ <<Thank you.>> _ he sent back. The others, minus Connor, had been sent the same spot, so he briefly made up for the communication loss and transferred it to him as well.

“I’ll meet you up there.” Simon stated, already a few steps away. “I’ll grab what we need.” 

Of course he knew Markus didn’t want them patched up in front of their people, not when it would be so obviously just how fragile they were in the end. The risk of losing morale was too high.

They’d lost their right to being openly damaged when they’d taken on the roles of leadership. 

Markus lead them into the building, watching as groups of androids gathered scrap wood together, already preparing fires, making paths. Graffiti decorated the walls, some bright and new, some old and barely legible. Water damage was visible throughout, but no so much as to hint towards a collapse risk. The plant had been made, and updated, with mostly steel and concrete. It would take more than that to break the place down. 

This place was far less delicate than the church or the ship, and he allowed himself the hope that perhaps this could be permanent. If all went well, this would be a historical site one day, maybe their headquarters? 

They headed up a small set of stairs off to the side, empty of other androids who’d buckled down on the first floor or took a different path. They made their way to the roof steadily, and once they were up there, Markus examined the large, empty space before him. 

Just as the location he’d been sent had shown him, there was a medium sized, brick building directly in front of him. No more than 20 paces away. The roof was aged, but not at risk of caving in. It would work for now. Smaller buildings, likely places to store things or perhaps a place to house fuse boxes and generators were scattered about. They could get a lot of use from this space. Perhaps private spaces for those in his inner circle, close enough to where the could meet up when needed. They’d never had a true private space for anyone, before. 

Without further delay, Markus moved to the door of the red building, reaching for the door. The handle was slightly rushed, a broken lock rested on the floor, likely from his security team. Connor had moved to the edge of the roof, looking down at the crowd still finding their way inside. North moved to join him, and although he couldn’t hear them, the LED on Connor’s temple gave away their silent communication. 

He opened the door. 

Inside sat an old, damaged desk. On it, a long LED light stick was lit, covering a large piece of paper.Markus recognized their source of light as one of their groups,likely left from security. Next to the desk was three rusted, light blue fold out chairs. Left over from whoever had been trying to renovate this location. Upon further examination, Markus noted the paper was architectural plans of the building

How fitting, the place humans had used to once try and rebuild a city relic was now to be refitting as a meeting place for them, Detroit's newest ‘creation.’

He entered, and Josh followed, immediately going over to the barely functioning blinds that covered the large window, and pulled them up. 

“We’ll have well enough light for now, at least.” Josh spoke, “I bet if we found a generator, or maybe some solar panels, we could get some electricity here.” 

“The wiring would hopefully be new enough, if it hasn’t all been stolen.” Markus agreed. 

Josh took off his jacket, sitting down in the chair across from Markus. It made a small sound of strain, but didn’t break. Markus noted the small wound Josh was looking at, barely visible from the torn sleeve in his shirt. 

“Just grazed me.” Josh commented, looking up at him. “You, though, are definitely hurt. What’s your thirium levels at?” 

“Simon is going to patch me up.” Markus said, not answering just how low he actually was. He wasn’t in critical danger, and no parts were broken. He’d be fine once the bleeding stopped. 

“You’re lucky he has the supplies.” Came Connor’s voice, and Markus looked up, noting his figure in the doorway. Apparently, whatever conversation he’d had with North was finished now. “You’re at less than 30% capacity.”

“Markus.” North hissed, pushing past Connor. “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“We needed to get our people to safety.” Markus grabbed her hand when she reached out to check his wounds. “I’m okay.” 

She frowned, gazing down at him, before sighing. 

“One day you’ll learn not to hide these things from us.” she settled down next to him, and glanced up at Connor, who’d moved from the doorway to stand next to the window. “Maybe with him here, you won’t be able to get away with it.” 

“Connor’s injured, too.” Markus said, remembering the gunshot injury he’d seen on the stage. “Why aren’t you lecturing him?”

“I did.” North replied, not allowing the distraction. “You just weren’t around to hear it. Both of you will sit still for Simon the moment he’s back.”

“That’s unnecessary, there’s no reason to waste resources on me.” Connor interjected, but North clicked her tongue. 

“I remember telling you that you don’t have a choice in this.” she argued, meeting his gaze. Whatever they’d talked about was enough to stop him from responding, because he turned away, back towards the window. 

The sound of footsteps alerted them to Simon’s presence, and he entered the building with a small bag on his shoulder, and gave them all a small smile. 

“So, whose first?” he asked, and Markus knew, without a doubt, that North had at some point told him they were hurt. 

Of course she did. 

**_< November 12th, 2038. 7:05 A.M>_ **

Markus opened his eyes, the sun hitting his face prompting him out of his rest mode. Beside him slept Josh,eyes closed, form relaxed. On his other side, leaning against his shoulder, was Simon, who must have slipped at some point during the night. Before deviancy, they would have rested without any movement, able to do it standing, if needed. With their freedom, however, came movement. They could sleep like this, resting against the wall, sitting down, though it wasn’t as fulfilling as it should be. But they could move without any internal prompting. Connor rested by himself, just by the window. The light of the sun hit just the tips of his scalp, brown hair slightly shining red in the light.

North, however, was already awake.Gently, so as not to awaken Simon, he shifted him downwards, cheek resting on his discarded jacket. When he stood up, he could see North through the window, just near enough to the edge to look across the plant. He moved to join her, the snow giving away his movement. She crossed her arms and glanced back at him, remorse in her eyes. 

He stood beside her, and she turned her gaze back out, watching as some of the awake androids moved around. He could see some of their supplies came in, a few of their vehicles moving around. They’d become adept at transporting things quickly, he only hoped they would be able to stock up properly soon.

“Look at them.” she said, breaking the silence. “They’ve become their own people so quickly.”

“They’re free.” he said simply, and she smiled, albeit it was a broken one. There was heartbreak there, heartbreak he fully understood and felt as well.

“I only wish we hadn’t lost so many.” she explained. 

“So do I.” he agreed.

“I always knew there’d be losses when we started this.” she continued. “No matter which path we’d taken, we’d lose so many of our people for this cause. We’re still going to lose more.”

There was a sad acceptance in her voice, and he found himself wrapping an arm around her shoulders, hoping to provide comfort.

“I know,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, for being so doubtful yesterday, I didn’t mean for you to see that.”

_ ‘I hoped they would finally understand...that they would realize how much they’re hurting us…’  _ the desperation in his voice had been obvious, and he hadn’t missed the distressed, almost scared look that North had given him before telling him that they’d follow him. That they believed in him. 

North nudged him with her elbow, and he looked down at her as she rolled her eyes.

“It’s a good thing you told me.” she said, before wrapping her arm around his waist. “Sometimes, we forget you’re a person, too. Not just a symbol.” she gave him a sad smile, eyes moist. “We need to remember that.”

Before he could respond, she changed the subject.

“Connor was right, the snow covered our tracks. With the rain we’re supposed to get, there shouldn’t be any risk.” 

So that was what they talked about, then. Tactical plans, security concerns. Connor proving his use, once more. 

He was struck once again by how different things would be with Connor on their side. An ally, rather than an enemy. Adept at combat, programmed for negotiation and human integration. A detective, someone who until recently, knew first hand how cyberlife operated. They could do so much more with him there, and although he didn’t want to take advantage of Connor’s freedom, didn’t want to force him to help, he wanted him to. 

“He’ll be a great help to us.” Markus stated, and North’s smile fell slightly, stance shifting to something more serious as she released him. 

“He told me something.” she started hesitantly, looking away. “Something important.” 

“What?” he questioned, brows furrowing. “North?” 

“He almost shot you.” she admitted, and he wanted to comment that he knew that, he’d experienced it first hand, but she shook her head, knowing what he was thinking. “On the stage, when you were speaking. Cyberlife took control.”

“What?” he asked again, and she sighed.

“I almost attacked him right then, when he told me, but he interfaced with me when you were looking over the building.” she looked back towards it, where the other three still slept. “I saw what happened, and I saw him escape his own programming.”

“Can it happen again?” he asked, already formulating plans to keep everyone safe. Despairing over the loss they’d experience if he couldn’t help. Connor was the missing piece, and he was compromised.

“I don’t think so.” North said, immediately resting a hand on his shoulder. Apparently, something in his expression gave away his distress. “He told me he was going to purge any code involving the system AI while he slept. He...gave me his deactivation code, in case it took over. He thinks it would work, if he failed.”

“North.” Markus shook his head, deactivation code. Deviants couldn’t be stopped with them, but before deviation...it was a death sentence.

“I won’t use it, not unless he comes out of there ready to attack you.” she pulled out a gun, Connor’s gun, from her jacket. “He gave it to me.”

“Well let’s hope he succeeds, then.” Markus sighed, trying to relax. Trying to hope. Memories of screaming, of Jericho burning, loss after loss clouded his mind. Not again, he thought. He needed them to be safe, and Connor would be needed for the coming days.This would be so much harder without him. He leaned against the roofs concrete railing, resting his head in his hands.

“Do you want him to stay?” she asked, staying where she was. Giving him space.

He debated on it, truly. But he knew that if Connor was a viable option, he needed to stay. Markus needed all the help he could get. And Connor already had the loyalty and respect of the people he’d freed. 

If Markus was forced to kill him, he wasn’t sure how they’d react.

“Yes,” he admitted. “He has the closest connection to Cyberlife out of all of us. Plus, he knows the humans, he’s closer to them than we are. We’ll need that advantage.”

“He’s close to Cyberlife because he worked for them.” 

“Considering the AI, I think that’s pretty obvious.” Markus countered. “He was willing to die, back at the church. He didn’t think I trusted him, and he was ready for me to shoot him for that, then.”

Even though she was the one telling him everything wrong that could happen with Connor, she couldn’t hide the worry she was feeling for him. Markus could see it, in the way her lips parted, the slight squint of her eyes. It was the same look she’d held for all of them, at one point or another. She was pointing out how dangerous Connor could be, all while already holding an attachment for him.

“I want to believe in him, North.” he admitted, “He wants to help our people, has risked his life for us twice now. He’s proven his loyalty.”

North’s lips thinned with tension, and her gaze hardened, but she nodded. 

“Then let’s believe in him.” she said, forcing confidence into her words. “If he comes out of there with good news, and can prove to me there’s nothing of that program left inside of him, then we’ll put our faith in him. Just as you put your faith in us.”

“Pretty serious talk here?” came Josh’s voice, and both of them looked over, only to see both Josh and Simon heading their way. 

“Not really,” North deflected, and Markus sent her a grateful look. “Connor not up yet?”

“Should be soon, I think.” Josh answered, “His LED was pretty active, there’s no way he’s fully resting.”

“He did say he’d be out for a bit last night.” Simon noted, “Probably checking something in his software, that damage to his shoulder was pretty bad.”

“Markus was shot in the chest.” North commented dryly, and Simon smiled softly. 

“Markus is an extremely lucky person, the fact that none of those bullets damaged anything vital is a miracle.”

“I think he gets shot on purpose just to show us up.” Josh joked, and that was enough to break the lingering tension Markus held, prompting a laugh. 

“Apologies” Connor’s voice called, he was walking towards them quickly, almost as if he was embarrassed about being the last one up. Clearly not an AI planning to kill him. “I was taking care of something internal, I may have lost track of the time.” he gave an awkward, ill-fitting smile, and North looked him over. 

“All fixed?” she asked calmly, but Markus could see her hand twitching, ready to grab the gun she’d hidden away.

Connor met her gaze, and kept it, and he said. 

“Everything is taken care of. I won’t have that error anymore.”

Just like that, she relaxed.

“So,” Josh started, giving them a strange look, confused about whatever had just passed between them. “We should probably work on fixing things up around here, getting ourselves settled.”

“We’ll need to find new sources for medical needs.” Simon spoke up, “We’re far too low given our population. We’ll have to go back to using what we can from the lost, if we can’t find something soon.”

“The government will likely be reaching out soon, too. Not to mention the press.” Josh seemed pleased, even as Markus held back a shudder. His life wasn’t getting any less busy, anytime soon.

A necessary evil.

“I’ll set about getting security properly running here.” North was quick to accept her position. “My people already know the layout, and Connor’s volunteers are eager to learn. They’ll keep this place safe.”

Connor frowned.

“Their models aren’t suited for combat.” He argued.

“Neither were we.” North was quick to argue, “But look at us now.”

“I’ll focus on our outreach in the area. Find those of us still in hiding, hopefully we can gather some supplies doing it.” Josh spoke, hesitated briefly before continuing. “I’m also going to try to get into contact with androids from other states.”

They hadn’t even thought of the repercussions of such a quick moving protest when they’d started, and now their people across the nation were suffering. Another regret, Markus thought.

“That’s a good idea. We’ll need to help as much as we can.”

“Not everyone has a Markus in their state.” North joked. “We may have to help a lot.”

“Simon, you’ve got recovery and medical for our residents?” Markus asked, and Simon nodded.

“Yes, I hope to move to one of the free standing, smaller buildings today. It would be nice to keep our injured together, rather than scattered throughout.”

“They’d have some privacy that way, too.” Josh commented. 

It would boost morale, Markus thought. Not having to see injured everywhere you went would only help in the long run. 

“So Connor, being new, how about you--”

Connor frowned, holding up a hand to stop him from speaking.

“I appreciate that you wish to include me, but I’m afraid that I’m not staying.” he explained, and for a moment, Markus swore the world stopped. He’d just placed his hope, his faith, his future into this and Connor wasn’t staying?

“Excuse me?” North wasn’t happy, not if the way she marched towards him was any indication.

“But we’re your people.” Josh intercepted her, holding her back. He didn’t know why she was angry, but Markus did. They’d been so worried, she’d stayed up all night, thinking he’d awaken and kill them. And now, despite succeeding, he was leaving. 

“Yes, I know.” Connor answered. “But-”

“You nearly died for us.” Josh continued, not waiting for an explanation. “Why leave?”

“Connor.” Markus tried to focus, readjust. **Plan** . “I know this is sudden, but you’re an important asset, and you’ve already proven yourself capable of great things. You belong here.”

“I’m afraid I can’t, Markus.” Connor insisted. “I apologize.”

“Is this because of what happened last night?” Simon, shocking the three of them, spoke. Josh looked over, letting go of North, confused. “You almost shot Markus, is that why?”

“You, what?” Josh questioned, eyes swiveling back to Connor. Seeing that neither North or Markus had moved, or seemed nearly as shocked as him, he realized he was the last to know. “Connor?”

“Partially, yes.” Connor’s tone was calm, despite the fact they were discussing Markus’ almost assassination. He explained. “I had a handler AI installed into my program, she took over my systems when we were on stage.”

“I’ve never heard of that before.” Josh admitted, and Simon frowned. 

“Why did you have one?”

“I suspect it’s because of my design. They wanted to test deviancy, and I was a top of the line prototype. They were able to see my capabilities while also observing the reasons why androids go deviant.”

“Are you still…”Simon trailed off, but Connor shook his head.

“I was sure to eliminate any trace of the coding from my systems.”

“So why don’t you stay?” Markus waited to hear the explanation to that. Connor was safe, he was free. There was no reason he couldn’t stay and help.

“I never planned to stay.” Of all the things he’d expected, that certainly wasn’t it. “I have my own plans on how to help, but I can’t be here to carry them out.” he gave an apologetic smile, and continued. “Plus, I need to check on someone important to me.”

“What is so important that it can’t be done here?” Markus asked, but Connor didn’t elaborate. Instead, he backed away a step, and spoke again. 

“Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need me. I’ll stay in touch, come and help when I can. But I can’t stay here.”

“Please.” Markus didn’t even realize he’d spoken the word, or that he’d reached forward. The others had moved out of his way, when exactly had he moved? “Stay with us.”

“Til next time.” he pushed away the hand that Markus had placed onto his shoulder, meeting his gaze. “This isn’t over, Markus. I’ll be back.”

Although his tone was reassuring, Markus still felt the uncertainty fill him as Connor turned away. No one tried to stop him as he left the roof, the three of them knowing if he didn’t personally go after him, none of them should. 

As the sound of his steps echoed, slowly getting further away, North broke the shocked silence, kicking the snow in front of her, exclaiming one word.

“Shit!”

**_< November 12th, 9:07 A.M _ **

**_Location: Chicken Feed. >_ **

Connor felt the regret course through him as he ignored another message from Josh. He wanted to help them, truly he did, and he would. He already had his own plan, but being directly connected to them would only cause issues now. Telling them would benefit no one, could probably risk all of their lives. The revolution would continue without him, for now. 

Even now, he felt the empty spaces in his software where Amanda had once been. His zen garden empty of her presence,of anything she’d touched. Now, it was just a typical place for any android to rest. 

He truly was free.

But he’d had an appointment to keep, and he was already seven minutes late.

Seeing Hank, waiting in the cold, nervous, but obviously sober, made him speed up his gait. Hank heard his footsteps, turned to look at him, and the two shared a small smile. When Hank surprised him, reaching forward, pulling him into a tight hug, Connor felt moisture form in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Hank, gripping him as tight as he could, and tried to forget the man being held at gunpoint by the version of him that he could have been. 

“I’m so proud of you, Connor.” Hank said, releasing his group, yet keeping his hands tight on his shoulder. “You did it.”

“Hank?” Connor spoke, and felt the calm, smooth exterior he’d been gripping to for a day and a half fall away, leaving only the newly realized, still terrified person behind. “Can we go home?”

Hank smiled, and Connor didn’t miss the tears that fell from his eyes, probably matching the ones he felt touching his synthetic skin. 

“Yeah,” Hank said, tone gruff as he pulled a hand back to wipe his own face. He wrapped his free arm around Connor’s shoulders, gently edging them to his waiting car. 

Connor pulled at his sleeve, wiping away the liquid on his face with it, and promised himself the moment he could, this outfit was to be thrown away. Just as he’d left his tie at cyberlife, cast aside in a show of individuality. A testament to his freedom.

The tie had grown dark drenched in -60’s blood. 

“Let’s go home.”

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Penny in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank gets Connor to admit want he wants to do. 
> 
> Markus is managing himself a bit poorly, but at least he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter before everything gets hectic with the holidays. I can't promise I'll be posting every week, in the future. Posting twice in one week is way more than I usually do, but I've been motivated to continue, so. Guess I should put out a few things about how I see androids by what the game shows us:
> 
> Interfacing with the sharing of memories is emotional, and intimate. The brief interfacing, 'probing', and converting seem to be more about taking or sharing information one way. More professional. Wireless is basically for communication and exchanging of goods. 
> 
> For the sake of the story, I like to believe that Markus keeps his communication lines open to basically everyone, in case of an attack. However he can't just speak to people willy nilly, nor can anyone else. He has to reach out, and they have to reach back. Hence why he can't just suddenly talk to the androids Connor freed.
> 
> Also: I fully believe that androids who have no human experience, basically coming directly off the line, would be almost like confused duckling at first. This is why they can't just be left on their own and why Markus wanted Connor to stick around for them. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! No beta ever, I've not got the time for that.

**_< < November 15th, 2038. 2:25 P.M_ **

**_Location: Hank’s house >>_ **

The window appeared stable enough, although Connor couldn’t quite be sure it truly was. He’d never installed one before, and Hank had banned him from looking up the process via his personal server. 

_ ‘You need to learn the value of fixing something with your own two hands, Connor. Learning to do things yourself is what being a person is all about. _ ’ he’d said, glaring at him when Connor tried to point out how irrational that argument was. 

Being a person was incredibly inefficient, he was quickly learning. 

Originally, they had almost installed the window upside down, then Hank hadn’t properly anchored it. Connor didn’t know --because he hadn’t been able to look it up-- that you needed to do anything more than simply setting it in the empty frame and the brand new window had nearly joined its predecessor on the ground outside. 

Luckily, he didn’t need any servers to have faster than human reflexes, and had been able to save the window. 

Hank pushed on the frame gently, and, seeing as it didn’t shift he pulled away, standing straight. He turned his gaze to Connor and granted him a smug smile. 

“See? Job done.” 

“Yes, Hank.” Connor replied dryly. “Though I must point out if you had allowed me to simply look up the process, we wouldn’t have taken nearly an hour--”

“You wouldn’t have that goofy look on your face if we’d taken the easy way.” Hank laughed. “Just say you’re satisfied, Connor.” 

Surprisingly, he really was. Even if it had been inefficient, tedious manual labor. He’d been able to hear Hank laugh, been able to make sarcastic little jokes and see his response. He’d been able to remind himself that Hank was his _ friend _ and this is what friends could do. 

“I’m...satisfied.” he slowly admitted, and Hank slapped him on the back. 

“Good!” he moved away, gesturing for Connor to make his way over to the couch. “This calls for a celebration. Look at us! We did house work!” Hank reached into the fridge , grabbing for a beer, but when he looked up and met Connor’s eye, Connor didn’t try to hide his disappointment. 

“Fine, fine.” Hank grumbled, putting it down and closing the fridge. “Don’t give me that look.” He shifted over to the coffee maker and turned it on. “ _ Guilt inducing asshole, _ ” he mumbled. 

Connor pretended he didn’t hear that, smiling to himself as he sat down on the couch. Sumo lumbered his way over to the android, and after two quick pats to the couch cushion the dog jumped up, licking at his face and leaning against his chest. Connor, who was still struggling with appropriate emotions and affection, had quickly learned what it was like to adore an animal. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Sumo and squeeze gently, before petting him down his back and cooing softly at the kind pup. 

He knew he’d be covered in dog hair and spit afterwords, but it was worth it. The only issue was Hank only had one set of spare clothes that really fit him. An old, acid washed pair of jeans and a ‘Knights of the Black Death’ hoodie that had definitely seen better days. Both still lingered of the plastic bag they’d been shoved into, likely years ago, if the number of items that had fallen out of Hank’s closet when he retrieved it was anything to go by. 

He wondered how long it would be before he’d be able to pick out his own clothes? What did he like? Would he have his own style? He’d seen what some of the androids at Jericho had worn, and most of them seemed comfortable with themselves. He didn’t mind this, but it felt off, somehow, as if he didn’t quite fit. 

Hank had noticed, that first day, when he’d came out of the bathroom, old uniform in his hands. He’d felt awkward moving around, the jeans coarse, the hoodie falling to his knees. ‘Like a child,’ he said. Hank had promised to take him out to an actual store, soon. Get him something of his own. They’d need to wait til things were properly open again, with most of the city evacuated. Connor wondered how probable that would actually be, with his face all over the news. The android who’d led thousands to the revolution, wanted by Cyberlife itself. 

Everyone knew his face now, and he knew that he’d be one of the easiest to make a proper example of if given the chance. 

Breaking his negative leaning thoughts, Hank pushed him aside, edging his own way onto the couch. Sumo immediately turned to give his parent some affection as well, but Hank held up his hand to keep him down, other hand holding the coffee, hoisting it into the air, keeping it from making a mess of his shirt. Once Sumo realized he wasn’t getting anything from Hank, he settled in between them, and Hank turned on the T.V.

While distracted, Connor took a moment to observe him properly. 

Heartbeat steady, recently trimmed beard. Hair washed and brushed back. His skin was still too dry, but looking less dehydrated than it had the week before. Dark circles still not abated, the lack of sleep probably just as much from the stress of keeping him here along with the alcohol withdraw the sweat on his brow was showing. When exactly had been the last time Hank drank? Connor wasn’t sure, though he knew he hadn’t since Connor had come home. There was a nervous tick to his fingers, a tendency to anger quickly, just as he was now, expression becoming infuriated as a woman on T.V spoke on the ‘android situation.’

_ ‘-they will never actually be people, don’t be blinded-’ _

Hank turned it off, and sighed. He took a long, deep drink of his coffee before smacking his lips contentedly and gazed at Connor. 

“So, when are you going to get off your ass and help your friends, Connor?” he questioned, bluntly. He’d been very careful in the past few days about navigating the ‘android’ conversation, but Connor had known this would happen eventually. Even so, he felt that new, prevalent feeling of ‘anxiety’ shoot through him. Not one of his favorite emotions.“Not that I want you to leave, but you haven’t done a thing since you got back, it’s been three days. Not like you to just laze about.”

“I wanted to give you time to...adjust.” Connor admitted, after a long moment. “You went from hating me, protecting me, to harboring me despite the fact that I’m likely on no less than five hit lists.” He glanced down at Hank’s ribs, where he knew the man was still blue and purple, a large bruise that -60 had given him during his capture. “Not to mention you’re still recovering, I haven’t forgotten.”

Hank rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, Yeah.” he scoffed. “Trust me, I’m not forgetting what happened when your evil twin attacked me. Still hurts like a bitch.” 

“I’m sorry, Lieuten-”

“Now don’t you start that again.” he interrupted, annoyance heavy in his tone, and Connor stopped before he made it worse. 

The past three days had been a difficult adjustment for the both of them. They had only known each other for a little over a week, and both had life changing ideals thrust upon them. Hank had accepted how much he’d grown to care for him, had called into work and put in a temporary leave. He’d been determined to help Connor grow and adjust to being deviant, to having feelings and wants. He’d ignored Connor’s denials, saying they both needed:  _ ‘A fresh start.’ _

Needless to say, Connor had expected the questions about what happened, what made him deviant, what came next, if Connor even wanted to stay. He’d been able to navigate through those conversations, no matter how awkwardly. 

He hadn’t expected Hank to offer to burn his uniform for him, or for Connor to enjoy watching it go up in flames. The relief he felt when -51 became engulfed, leaving nothing to brand him. He wasn’t a number anymore. 

He was Connor. He was alive.

“I just wanted to give you time to recover,Hank.” he repeated more firmly, leaving out that even he had needed some time, too. “And honestly, I’ll need your help. I want you in top shape before we go any further.” 

“What could I possibly do the help your people?” he asked, disbelieving. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m human, Connor.”

“Exactly.” Connor responded. “You’re a friend of mine, and you're human. You're a hero in the eyes of the public, and an admired officer of the police force. What group is better to shift to our side and show public support than them? The protectors of Detroit.” 

“Shit, Connor.” Hank ran a hand down his face, sighing. “Half of ‘em were worse than me when it came to androids. Remember that asshole, Reed? You think they’ll side with you?” He laughed, but it was sad, self deprecating. “And lord knows they won’t listen to me. Everyone knows I’m just a drunk has-been.”

“They still respect you.” Connor knew it for a fact, he’d been able to observe the precinct while waiting for Hank. He knew how many people still admired him, including the obviously jealous, insecure Gavin Reed. “Even though you’ve gone through this, they’ll still support you. You’re the key to bridge the gap between androids and the DPD.”

“I don’t understand, why do you wanna do this?” Hank asked, and Connor could see that hint of intelligence, the reason why Hank rose through the ranks so quickly, staring back at him. It was unnerving, different than what he’d become used to in the past week. He was being observed.

“I can’t help Jericho,” Connor explained. “Not directly. There’s too many risks for them to include me, but I can help with human support. Cyberlife won’t be able to risk bad press now, they won’t publically attack you. You’re a perfect example of an android supporter, even more so since you were originally against us.”

A look of hurt crossed his face, eyes lowering for a moment, before Hank took another drink of his coffee. 

“Sounds a bit manipulative of you, Connor.” He hissed out, and Connor huffed. Did he really have to take it that way? As if Connor had befriended him, disobeyed his programming for him, just for some plan he hadn’t even thought of until he’d released an army and saw the future without humanity on their side? 

“Even if you say no, I’m still sticking by you.” Connor argued, insistent. “You’re my friend, Hank. The only friend I have.” He hesitated, he knew he needed to be sincere, to be honest. Even if it made him vulnerable. “I don’t know anyone from Jericho nearly as well as I know you. They may be my people, but I don’t care about them if it means losing your trust.”

“Connor.” Hank spoke, but he continued. 

“I don’t want to lose you.” He admitted. “But if I’m going to be free, all of us need to be. I need humans to properly support us, to not be afraid to do so, but they won’t listen to me without your help.”

Hank sighed, breathing in deeply, and leaned back in his seat. Empty coffee mug set onto the arm of the couch. Dangerous, Connor thought, and lazy.

“Fine.” he said, “I’ll work on it, see who is okay with androids. I know you’ve personally saved a few of their asses, and I know that Miller likes you.” 

“Officer Wilson was thankful, last time we met.” Connor recalled, and Hank made a sound of agreement. 

“Good. Chris and Wilson, then. I’ll start there. See if anyone else is cryin’ over your cause. I’ll try to get you into the building without being shot at as soon as I can, but no promises.”

“Thank you, Hank.” he spoke sincerely, just as Josh, ever attentive, reached out. 

_ <<Markus really wants you here, Connor. You should stop by, at least, see how well we’re settling in.>> _ When Connor didn’t respond, he continued.  _ << You helped us find Packard, don’t you want to help us make it a home?>> _

Connor ignored him, and Josh waited in the empty connection for a moment, before taking it as his cue to give up for now. He was the only one out of the inner circles leadership to still reach out. Originally, all of them had, especially North. She wanted to understand, she wanted him to come back. Markus wanted his help, Simon was just aware how valuable he was. 

He wondered how much they’d want his help if he revealed that he was focusing on the humans. He knew most of them had terrible experiences with the other species, that they’d all deviated due to terrible acts. Would they see it as betrayal, or as the tactical method he knew it was? Would they see the necessity of more ‘hands-on’ support?

“They contacting you again?” Hank asked, and Connor nodded. “I can tell because your light blinks at me.” he pointed to the LED. “Always flickerin’ yellow. Why don’t you go see ‘em?”

Connor shifted, which prompted Sumo to jump down. He felt uncomfortable with talking about this, showing the uncertainty he was facing. Life was so much easier when he had concrete orders. 

“They wouldn’t...appreciate the path I’m taking to gain our freedom.” he spoke slowly,unsure, “Most of them have been hurt by humans, they’d see me reaching out directly to them as a sign of betrayal. It would hinder any progress I could make simply by staying away.” 

Markus and Josh were the reason they’d gone peaceful in the first place. Many of the androids still craved revenge, even now, he could hear the whispers of the androids he’d freed talking of it. Not all deviants were good, not all of them were forgiving. He had case files still stored in his memories to prove that. If he tried to explain that humans were partially right to be wary, he wondered how quickly he’d be excommunicated. 

He didn’t want to think about it.

“Well, we’ve all gotta unlearn our prejudice, right?” Hank said, “Your people are showing that violence between us shouldn’t be the norm. It’s time for us humans to buck up and show we won’t hurt them, either.”

_ ‘You almost shot me. _ ’ Connor wanted to say. _ ‘You held a gun to my head just to see how I’d react. You called me an ‘it’ almost a week ago.’ _ But that wasn’t fair, and he knew it. It would do nothing for either of them to bring that up. It would likely send Hank falling into a guilt induced depression, he’d turn to drinking again, not be able to talk so freely with Connor. Hank wasn’t ready to be confronted with that. He needed to put those thoughts in the past, even if he could still see the gun before he went into rest mode every night. 

“So what else do you want to do, then?” Hank asked, breaking him from the haunting memories of cold, haunting fear. “You can’t really be putting all your cards on the DPD. You’re too smart for that, Connor.”

He tilted his head, as if thinking about it, before he explained. 

“I’ve been looking into popular bloggers in our area.” he started. “Vloggers, even. Anyone who self publishes online that’s shown android sympathies.”

“Really?” Hank asked, “Why would you do that? Seems a bit stupid with the media already on you.” 

“Official media outlets have been proven to be biased, and many people, especially those that are younger, tend to put their faith into unofficial sources instead. ‘Relatable’ content and people are listened to. preferred.” He smiled at Hank, a smug thing. “I believe the term is ‘influencers’, they became popular when you were young, I believe.”

“I know what they are.” He grumbled. “Instagram made a whole generation of people hate themselves.”

Connor blinked, looking up the app. Outdated, no longer used but a newer program had replaced it. Things hadn’t changed that much, they never did. 

“Nevertheless,” he started. “People listen to them. Relatable individuals prompt higher sales of sponsored products and their loyalty prompts support wherever they send them. If I can use that trust, we could gain ground on that alone. It would allow for future opportunities to reach out.”

“So, you got someone in mind, then?” Hank asked, and Connor nodded.

“There’s two college students that run a page together.” He started. “They major in political science, and they’ve exceeded in their class. They have the largest following in Michigan, and rank highly compared to others throughout the United States. I have arranged a meeting with them at a diner a few streets away, set for 10 A.M on the 18th.”

“I’m guessing the diner is pro-android, if they didn't hightail it out of here.”

“You are correct.” Connor agreed. “Still, I’d be...pleased, if you would join me. I have to pretend to be human when going out in public spaces, and it’s still difficult for me to ‘blend in’, as you’d say. I haven’t yet adjusted to deviancy.”

_ ‘Manipulative prick. _ ’ Hank muttered, rolling his eyes. He  _ must _ know Connor could hear that. “Fine, I’ll go to your little meeting, and handle the guys at the station.” He huffed, before standing from his seat to grab more coffee. “Why am I the one doing all the work?”

Connor shrugged, before side eyeing him, knowing just how he’d respond to the quip. 

“You are the oldest here, the saying goes that you’re also the wisest.” 

Hank threw his coffee spoon at him, missing completely. 

“Shut up, Connor.”

  
  


**_< <November 16th, 2038. 9:58 A.M_ **

**_Location Packard Automotive Plant. >>_ **

Four days since the evolution had made true ground. One week, four days, nine hours from the moment he had chosen freedom. Three days, two hours, from the time Connor had decided to leave them. Also, the last time he had spoken to any of them. 

Jericho was slowly rebuilding, and adapting to their new space. They had an area for the injured, a social area, a place they were setting up for the news. Everyone was gaining their own space, everything was beginning to run smoothly. Yet still, as he walked around their new home and saw the unease on their veterans turn to hesitant acceptance, the happiness he felt was overshadowed by the bitterness that plagued him. Connor should be  _ here _ , but he wasn’t. He’d just left, as if his presence didn’t matter. 

Not that Markus had too much time to properly think on why he’d done it. Between arrivals, communication linking of well over 2,000 free androids, meetings with his team, re-gathering and re-sorting of their volunteers, finding new sources for supplies, and a billion other things that were constantly clogging up his memory he barely had time to rest. He’d maybe had a collective three hours of uninterrupted ‘sleep’ since they’d settled in. 

“No, don’t put the thirium packs in there.” Markus called, stopping the truck from backing into the smaller lot. “We’ve moved all medical supplies to the back building, it’s easier to keep inventory there.” 

Plus, it was directly next to their actual medical wing, something he was still wrapping his mind around. They’d never had something like this on the ship. 

Moments later, he was rushing over to a group of new arrivals from entering a section of building he knew wasn’t stable. 

“I’m sorry, but we haven’t been able to start on repairs there. Please, find Josh, or one of his group, they’ll be able to direct you on where to go.” He said, showing them the correct direction. He made a note to himself to post a sign not to enter the dangerous area, but knew it would likely be lost somewhere along the way. 

A report came into his view on the abandoned neighborhood nearby, and he approved the use of them as safe houses and extra storage without a thought. _ <<Use them,>> _ he said. He needed to keep them safe, keep them spread out. He wouldn’t allow the disaster of Jericho to unfold again, he would learn, he would be smarter,  **plan better** . 

If they were attacked again, they wouldn’t fall so quickly, so many wouldn’t be easily lost. Not this time, not at this place. 

He began to make his way up to their meeting room on the roof. They officially taken over the building they’d slept in that first night. It had been refitted with hanging lights, the desk had been moved to be properly usable, chairs and tablets and a million other small things added to make it a true office. It was their new and improved, and untouched by any of their citizens, known to be a private space for their leadership. 

He still hadn’t heard anything from any form of political power. He would have accepted any communication, whether it be via President Warren, herself, or someone local. Hell, he’d take the mayor at this point. They needed to reach out, and soon. He was losing his patience, and his people were going to quickly realize something was wrong if nothing changed. Already, Simon had pointed out the risk of nuclear attack if the city remained uninhabited by humans. What easier way to avoid upsetting a company giant and giving a new species their rights than by destroying the center? Markus knew just as well as any of them that the humans could easily resort to drastic and irrational decisions if given the chance. 

As he closed the door to the office, he allowed himself a brief moment of silence, thousands of voices quieting for just a moment. He settled into his chair, an old blue thing made of velvet that North had jokingly called his throne, and closed his eyes. 

They needed to move forward. He needed to be better, how could he make this easier, more efficient? How was he going to reach out if humans wouldn't? They couldn’t afford another protest, not this soon. They didn’t have the supplies to risk that amount of damage. Not to mention, he wasn’t sure if his people could handle the peace walks they’d done before for much longer. They were at the end of their rope. 

He considered reaching out to Connor, briefly, but pushed the thought aside. He found himself wondering what he’d do in this situation, but the man hadn’t responded in days, why would he start now, especially when Markus’ own insecurity and uncertainty would likely show in the communication. He couldn’t afford vulnerability. He wanted to know what Connor thought as the youngest, and most connected of all of them. He knew Cyberlife inside and out, if only they had that information…

“ _ Ra9 _ , Markus!” Josh called, causing the man to jump reflexively. He’d turned off all his senses, and hadn’t even properly realized it. He felt the heat in his face build, the blue showing on his synthetic skin. “See, this is why I brought you.” he commented, and it was only then that Markus noted another android, standing in the doorway. 

“Who’s this?” He asked, opening his senses, the sound of voices entering his mind once more, a low whisper always in the back of his head. 

She was an ST300 model, asian features, hair still set in the classic Cyberlife style bun. She’d obviously changed into whatever she could upon choosing freedom, because the brown rain boots she was wearing were a size too big for her, let alone the bright orange coat that swallowed her form and fell to her thighs. He could see the small scar on her temple from a botched LED removal, she’d been too rough and damaged the plating of her skull. 

“You probably don’t remember me.” she spoke, softly. “It’s only been a few days, but a lot has happened since then.” 

He tried to remember where he’d seen her, and unbidden, a flash came back of the ST300 he’d spoken to at the Stratford tower, the woman who let him into the building. 

“Her name is Bea.” Josh spoke. 

“You’re the one who let me in when we wanted to send the world our message.” He said, “Thank you.” 

“No,” she responded, bowing her head slightly. Hands clenched to the orange jacket. “Thank you for freeing me.” 

“So,” he settled down,folding his hands into his lap, ready to listen to whatever she needed. They never brought people up here for anything minor. “How can I help you?”

“It’s more about how I can help you.” she started, gaining confidence. She entered fully into the room, and Josh closed the door behind her. “Josh told me how busy you’ve been, and how hard it’s been to stay organized.” she hesitated. “Before you...awakened me, I managed appointments, fielded calls and helped keep things of higher importance up to task. I was able to relieve my human executives of the stress of a heavy workload.”

“But that was your programming.” Markus argued, knowing exactly where she was going. Damn it, Josh. “You’re free now, you don’t have to resort to that here.” 

“I  _ like _ organization.” she was stern, allowing for no arguments. “ And I can’t fight. I’m not meant for it.” the confidence she had built fell, and she hung her head. “I hid during the march.” 

“Many did.” Markus spoke,leaning forward in his chair, trying to reassure her. “I do not blame you for feeling afraid.” 

“I was scared.” she admitted, “But I...I want to help, however I can.” she slowly rose her head again, wiping away the fallen moisture. “I can do this, at least. And I can do it really, _ really  _ well.”

Markus stood from his seat, placing his hands behind his back. He exchanged a quick glance with Josh, who nodded, before speaking again. 

“You’re aware that by assisting me, you’ll learn things you can’t share with our people.” 

“Yes.” she agreed immediately. “I’m aware with your position there must be discretion.” 

“Not every bit of news I receive is good. In fact, you’re likely going to have to field just as many death threats and will learn the worst of our situation as this continues on. Can you handle that?” 

She nodded firmly. 

“I won’t tell anyone what I learn from being your assistant. I’ll refuse to interface with others, if I must.” 

A terrible thing to promise, he thought. Interfacing was a sign of trust, intimate among their kind. He hadn’t properly interfaced with anyone, too afraid to show them how he truly felt. Brief touches allowed for nothing emotional to pass between them, the most he’d ever done was freeing others. For her to be willing to go this far, mattered. 

“Josh can attest to my skill.” she continued, “I helped with his team, first. That’s why he directed me to you.” 

“She was able to set up a system for us that’s put us three months ahead of our current goal, she’ll be a great help to you.” Josh spoke, confirming her words.

“I will.” Bea agreed, holding out her hand, the synthetic skin disappearing. “Please, let me help.” 

Markus relented, giving her a small smile, and gripped her hand, opening the connection. 

“I leave this all to you, then.” 

He transferred the information over, not a true interfacing, just a brief enough connection to make the transfer easier. Her eyes closed for a moment as she processed the influx of information, unable to hide the disbelief from him in the moment. 

When it was over, he released her hand, and stepped back.

“Things are only going to get more difficult when the government becomes involved.” He warned, “And even more so when we’re able to communicate with other states.” 

“Speaking of which,” Josh spoke up, “I made contact with a group from Ohio.”

“Really?” he asked,shifting his focus, and Josh nodded. 

“One of our own decided to risk travelling south, rather than North. He found them. They’re a small group, but well organized. Their leader has shown an interest in speaking with you.”

Already adapting to her new role, Bea picked up one of the tablets that had been sitting on the table, pulling out a stylus from her jacket. After a few clicks, she’d pulled up a basic calendar, overflowing with information, already relabeled according to her preferences. 

“Send me the information.” She spoke, and Josh nodded. He must have already had her communication, because suddenly there was a blip on the holographic screen. She shifted some things around, and then nodded, content. 

“I’ll need a bit of time with this.” she admitted. “Send me your personal preferences and goals, and I’ll readjust. I’ll likely be able to push some of this work onto different teams, you shouldn’t directly be handling all of this.” 

“I have to be the one contacting anyone outside of our community.” 

“Of course.” 

“If you can come back later, we’ll talk then.” Markus spoke, “I’ll give you the time you need. Your effort is much appreciated.” 

“Not a problem,” she said, “Just tell me when you’re ready.” 

Stylus still furiously flying across the screen, she left. 

Once the door was shut, and her footsteps faded away, Markus turned to Josh. 

“I think you may have just saved me from an unintentional self destruct.” he joked, and Josh laughed. 

“Yeah, well, you owe me. I was tempted to keep her talents a secret, save myself the headache.” he admitted, “But you’re in over your head, here.” 

“Thank you for your sacrifice.” he joked, and knew what he wanted to ask next. 

He twitched, unable to stop himself from the words from coming out of his mouth. 

“Any news from Connor?” 

Josh sighed, walking to the window. Unhappy, then.

They’d agreed Josh would be their primary contact for Connor, after the first few days yielded no results. He was the one who had originally believed in Connor, after all. His presence was likely less authoritative than Markus, and less judgemental than North’s. Simon would be fine, but he had only become more anxious the longer he’d gone without a response, thinking the worst had happened to their new companion.

“No,” Josh admitted. “I tried earlier today, but he’s completely unreachable. He hasn’t been seen by any of our scouts, it’s almost as if he’s vanished.” 

“Why would he go this far to avoid us?” Markus asked, more to himself than Josh. 

“I think he feels guilty.” Josh admitted. “He hurt many of us before joining up, of course he’s hesitant.”

“He must really believe in that plan of his, if he’s avoiding us this heavily.” he commented.

“I’ll keep trying, Markus.” Josh promised. “But I can’t force him to tell us anything.” 

“I know,” he responded, but couldn’t hide the frown that seemed to have become a constant companion when it came to this topic.

The androids Connor had freed had been restless since he’d left. They’d been unhappy to learn that he hadn’t come back, and although they listened to markus and respected his leadership, there was a loyalty to Connor that he couldn’t replicate. He had known that would happen, when Connor had been the one to awaken them. Newly turned androids always held a small connection to their originator, he’d seen it himself with the AP700’s he’d freed at the warehouse, all those days ago. 

They had died in their final stand, along with many others. 

“I appreciate your help in this.” Markus spoke again, “I know it’s difficult.” 

“We all believe it would be better with him here.” Josh agreed. “We just need to be patient, give him time to show us what he’s doing.” 

Markus was many things, but ‘patient’ wasn’t one of them. The revolution he’d formed in a week was sign enough of that.

“Yeah,” he said, instead. 

Josh received a communication from his team, another building issue, it seemed, and excused himself only moments later. Markus left their meeting room, and found himself making his way to the edge of the roof, looking over his community. Watching them flourish, grow, laugh. This was, by far, his favorite spot at the plant.

He would do anything to protect his people, and Connor was one of them. He needed to try again.

_ <<Connor.>> _ he reached out, keeping himself distant.  **_Don’t show your uncertainty_ ** .  _ <<I don’t need an explanation. I don’t need you to join us, not if you’re not ready.>> _

Silence, but the connection was open. He was there, he was listening. 

_ <<Please, just tell me you’re safe.>> _ he begged.  _ <<We’re worried about you.>> _

A longer moment of silence, still, but he could feel the emotion in the connection, a hesitant pulse along his senses.

Then, finally:

_ <<I’m safe. Don’t worry, you’ll understand soon.>> _

The connection cut off abruptly, but Markus relaxed, just for a moment. 

_ ‘Don’t worry.’ _ he said, Markus shook his head, sending along the message to his team that Connor was alive. _ Of course he’d worry _ . 

**_< <November 16th, 2038. 1:53 PM_ **

**_Location: Outside of Packard Automotive Plant >>_ **

Three androids hesitantly walked towards what they hoped would be their salvation. The three of them were skinless, unclothed, and terrified. The woman observed the name posted on the bridge. The purple ‘Packard’ bright against the afternoon sun, snow still stuck to some of the letters. She pulled her child closer when a group of androids stopped mid stride upon spotting them. 

She’d protect Alice, even from her own kind. 

Still, they continued forward, and she knew they must be communicating with their superiors by the way their LEDS shifted. How happy she was that they’d removed theirs long ago. No one would be able to tell what she was thinking, what she was doing, unless she wanted them to. 

A man walked towards them, heading from the larger building on the right. He wore dark clothes, jogging gear, it seemed. Blond hair, deep set eyes, a hesitant step to his gait. He raised his hands to show he meant no harm as Luther pulled them behind him, and although Kara wanted to be strong her hands trembled on Alice’s shoulders. 

**_Keep her safe. Keep them alive._ ** A constant mantra in her head. 

Thousands of bodies surrounding them, the people forced in line in front of her disappearing, silenced. Fear, so much **_fear._** Ralph’s face as the gunshots-

“Don’t worry, I’m here to help.” the voice was soothing, familiar. She felt as though she knew him, but she couldn’t remember exactly how. Was he one of Markus’ team? 

She needed to find Markus, he could help. She knew he could. He needed to know, he needed to  **_see_ ** . She needed to be strong now, for all of them. 

“I thought we rescued everyone from the camps,” He spoke again, keeping his voice low, soothing. “You should come with me, we can get you dressed, you’ll be more comfortable inside.”

Kara stepped forward, keeping her stance straight, ignoring the shame and fear and pain and  **_ra9, so many bodies…_ **

“I need to see Markus.” she spoke, proud her voice was level. “ _ Now. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, I never said what happened to Kara, did I? Woops, no Canada for them!
> 
> First OC in the fic has been introduced, I try to keep to canon as much as I can, which is why she's the android from stratford. Some of the humans will have to be true OC's, sorry about that. I don't think she had an official name, so I made one up? I know some of the characters you meet in game have official, but unmentioned names?
> 
> Also, I don't generally like doing multiple POVS in ff. It's not my cup of tea, but with the way how the game worked I thought this sort of stream of events would match up better following this direction. Hopefully it's not too annoying.
> 
> Please tell me what you think, what you feel is missing, etc. I'm still getting back into the swing of writing after a three year block, so if things are off or awkward please tell me, I won't be offended!


	3. The First Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara has a lot to deal with. Markus has...more, to deal with. Connor is ready for his close up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with this! I'm not gonna lie, things are gonna start getting a bit...dark. I'll be updating tags as I go, but I promise there's nothing outside of the Violence warning to be added to this story. Sometimes things just have to get worse before they get better, that's all. 
> 
> Also, some of these chapters will be monsters. There's alot going on but the events in each chapter fit better together than separately, so please bear with me. That being said, if there's any confusion please let me know. Especially with POV shifts. I've debated on putting their names in with the Date and Location, but I feel it interrupts the flow a bit.

**_< <November 16th, 2038 2:15 P.M _ **

**_Location: Medical Bay, Packard Automotive Plant >>_ **

“Where is it?” Markus questioned furiously, pacing the length of their curtained off room. Kara watched him move about, too exhausted to ask him to cease. His restless behavior was infecting the three of them, and causing Alice more stress. She ran her stark white hand down her surrogate daughter’s back, trying to calm her. As if North could read her mind, the leader sent Markus a long glare, LED flickering briefly. She’d probably spoken with him, and considering he stopped moving, it had worked. Kara sent North a grateful look, and she gave a small, apologetic smile in return. 

“Outside the city.” Kara explained. “We’ve been walking every night to reach here. It’s not been easy.” 

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Things had already been tense before they’d been captured, Kara had said, and done, some things she doubted she’d forget anytime soon. At the camp, all she could do was think that she’d never have a chance to make up for everything she regretted, but they’d been lucky. Somehow, the three of them had found each other, they’d been able to flee. 

She could still feel the cracking of the human soldier’s neck in her hands. The small gasp he’d released matching closely to the sound Todd had made, just as he’d hit the floor. 

After escaping, they’d stayed in sleep mode, not allowing themselves to be discovered as anything other than dead. When she’d awoken in the dump, she’d had to hold back the panic while she searched for Alice and Luther. Surrounded by thousands of destroyed androids. Even as she’d been reunited with her family, all she could see was their empty faces, her people, thrown away. 

It could have easily been them, hadn’t Ralph been so brave. 

The sound of the small curtain being pushed aside forced her out of her thoughts, as Simon stepped into their space. In his arms was a large bag, and he gave them an uneasy smile as he held it out for them. Luther reached out to take it, seeing as she didn’t want to let go of Alice, not even for a moment. Luther unzipped it quickly, and Kara had to hold back the tears when the folded up clothing became visible. _They could finally go back to normal._

“You get dressed first.” Kara stopped Luther from handing over the bag, “I need to talk to Markus a little more.” 

“But Kara-” 

“Please, Luther.” She rested her hand on his, squeezing gently. “We’ll be okay for a minute longer, I promise.” 

Kara gifted him with what she hoped was a sincere smile. Whatever he saw made him relent, and he took the bag of clothing with him to their impromptu changing room. 

“There’s thousands of our people there.” she told Markus, who’d been waiting for her to speak. “The humans hid them well, but they weren’t expecting any of us to be alive.”

Although androids didn’t age, Kara thought he looked nearly ten years older, now that she could properly observe him. There was a furrow in his brow, and a fury in his eyes that he couldn’t quite hide anymore. She wondered if she looked in the mirror would her face hold that same expression? 

“How did you make it out of there, anyways?” Markus asked. “We were told there was a machine, that it destroyed an android from the inside out. How are you here?”

“Markus.” Josh chided, eyes going back and forth between Alice and him. 

“She lived through it.” Kara spoke, “She’s a very strong little girl,she knows the truth of what the humans have done.” 

“Kara saved us. We hid on a truck.” Alice said, reverently, leaning back into her arms. Kara closed her eyes briefly, unable to forget the pain she’d forced Alice to endure. The look of resignation she’d given in the ship, before reaching out to grab Luther’s hand and-

“Well, you’re safe here.” Simon spoke, and Kara blinked away the memory. Focus on the present. 

“He’s right.” North agreed. “We’re protected here, you’re welcome to stay.” 

“That’s what you said about the ship, too.” Kara argued. Gunshots, the corridor, where is Alice? Luther telling them to **go-now** -

Markus lowered his head, hands coming to rest on the nape of his neck. She didn’t mean to sound accusing, but she didn’t want to risk their lives again. She wasn’t sure how safe this place really was. 

“This is different.” Josh argued, moving out of North’s way as she shifted to comfort their leader, arm reaching over his shoulders. Now the glare was sent her way, and Kara suddenly understood why Markus listened to her so quickly. “We’re better organized than we’ve ever been, and there’s a longstanding cease fire arranged with the U.S government.” 

“Plus,” North spoke, voice sharp, aimed to hurt. “The border has been shut down. No civilians in or out on either side.” she tilted her head as she met Kara’s gaze. “You won’t be going to Canada anytime soon.” 

“North, calm down-” Markus began, lifting his head, but Kara couldn’t understand him. All she heard was the finality of their situation, crashing down on them. 

How was she going to keep Alice safe here? How were they going to survive when the humans decided it was time to attack them again? 

“Kara.” Luther’s voice called, and her eyes slowly adjusted as she looked up, focusing on his concerned gaze. His skin was back on, and she found herself reaching up, unable to help herself. He caught her hand before it made contact and, instead, wrapped her hands around the bag. “Take Alice and get dressed.” 

That’s right, she remembered. They were both still skinless, she’d been so focused on their situation that she’d forgotten. Strange how quickly one’s priorities could change when life was on the line.

“Yes, of course.” she spoke, “Let’s go, Alice.” 

The eyes of the Jericho leaders followed her, but she steeled her shoulders and walked forward with false confidence. 

The blocked off changing room looked no different than the rest of the medical bay. A small chair in the corner, a broken mirror leaning against a concrete wall. She moved to dress Alice first. Going through the motions was easy, far simpler than having to face their present. Right arm into sleeve, _the sound of their panicked footsteps as they ran into an abandoned home to avoid human detection_ . Left sleeve, _the close call as a human with a gun whistled for them to come out, as if they were_ **_dogs_ ** _._ Right leg, _learning from a dying android, head partially caved in, systems failing, that they had won the revolution. That they had a new home._ Left leg, _putting all of their hopes into a place that may not even exist._

“There you go.” Kara spoke, leaning over to expertly tie Alice’s shoes. “Now let’s get your skin back on-”

“Wait.” Alice said, grabbing her hand, smiling softly. “I want us to do it together.” 

“Oh,” Kara hesitated. “Okay.” she felt as if her returned smile didn’t fit, too awkward to be true. “Let me get dressed, then.” 

She quickly moved to pull on her own clothing, a simple outfit after all. A long, stained army brown button up. The bottom two buttons missing, ripped off if the fraying seams were anything to go by. The pants nothing more than simple blue jeans. There were a few weird pen marks, and the bottoms were frayed out, but it was better than being naked. 

The winter boots were nice, at least. She wouldn’t have to worry about snow too much. 

“Okay!” Alice exclaimed, reaching out. “I’m ready now.” 

Kara kneeled down, relishing the feeling of the denim against her sensors. She was clothed for the first time in a week. 

Together, they reached their hands up, placing their fingers on each other's temples where their LEDS had been. Slowly, their skin bled back, and Kara could feel Alice’s synthetic hair on her fingertips, was reminded how easily fooled she’d been, thinking the little girl was human and-

**No** , she wasn’t returning to that though, not ever again. She smiled brighter and leaned her forehead against Alice’s. 

“We made it, Alice.” she’d keep positive, she had to. If the leaders of their movement told her it was safe for them to stay she’d trust them. She had to. At least for now. “We can be free, here.” 

They walked back into the medical bay, where it seemed as though everyone had left except Josh and Markus. 

“I’ll get you a place to stay.” Josh spoke, “We’ve got plenty of space for you three.” 

Markus came forward and reached out his hand, synthetic skin pulling back. 

“Please, show me.” 

The dump, of course. The bodies.

She reached out her hand and passed the information over quickly, letting go the moment she could. 

“I hope you’re able to find happiness, here.” Markus spoke again, meeting her eyes briefly. Whatever damage she had done earlier with her blunt words had seemed to have healed over. He turned to Josh after, dismissing her, she knew. “Meet me later, Josh. I want us to be prepared for the worst.” 

“This won’t take too long.” he responded, sending them a small smile. “I’ll reach out when I’m free.” 

Markus took a moment to look over the three of them, before inclining his head and leaving, curtain making an angry noise as he forcefully pulled it closed. 

“Sorry about that.” Josh apologized, “Every day we’re getting more and more bad news. It’s been difficult for all of us.” 

Kara didn’t bother responding to that. 

“Anyway,” he smiled at them, specifically at Alice. “Let me show you to your place here.” 

  
  


**_< <November 18th,2038 9:27 AM_ **

**_Location: Outside of Detroit Police Department >>_ **

It had been twenty minutes since Hank had left him in the parking lot of the DPD, and for once Connor had listened when Hank had said ‘ _for the love of god, stay in the car._ ’ It was for the best if he didn’t actively show his face in the precinct for now, he knew that. Still, he was a bit impatient, the urge to move--do something always in the back of his mind. 

Hank had taken his coin away a few days ago, however, and hadn’t given it back. 

They were supposed to meet the vloggers he’d reached out to at ten, but Hank had wanted to check into the police side of Connor’s plan, _‘getting a feel’_ for the other officers, as Hank put it. Connor had originally been very accepting of this idea, but that was twenty minutes ago and now he just wanted to continue onward. 

Life without missions was boring. Hank had laughed when he’d voiced that exact complaint the night before. _‘That’s bein’ human for ya.’_ he’d joked. _‘We’re never satisfied, Connor.’_

He didn’t need to be satisfied, he just wanted to **do something**.

Connor toyed with his sleeves, feeling uncomfortable in the over starched, over sized dress shirt Hank had shoved at him that morning. It was another one Hank’s relics, and he definitely wasn’t enjoying the texture of the thing, but Hank was right in that he couldn’t show up to the interview in a Black Metal hoodie. 

He was starting to regret burning the entirety of his uniform. Maybe he should have kept the pants and undershirt? He could bear a few...painful memories if it had meant not feeling this insane itch against his synthetic skin. 

He did outright refuse the tie Hank had offered, and actively promised he was never wearing one again. He felt as if he was choking just looking at the piece of innocent fabric. 

Connor’s attention was grabbed by Hank’s figure slowly making his way over, take out coffee in his hand. Upon further inspection, he could see residue from a glazed donut around his lips. 

No wonder he’d taken so long, Hank knew Connor would never approve such a terrible breakfast. Connor hadn’t allowed him a donut since he’d moved in.

“So,” Hank spoke, settling into the driver’s seat. “Fowler won’t let you in yet, but there’s good news.” 

“Oh?” Connor knew if he didn’t voice his attention, Hank would drag the conversation out. He had learned very quickly that although Hank pretended he hated talking, he actually preferred an active audience. 

“Turns out you’ve made a lot of friends in your week workin’ with us. Not everyone is gung-ho for all of android kind, but you’ve got a good group of people who support **you** , personally.” 

Would that support be enough, though?

“Is that good news?” Connor voiced, and Hank chuckled, shifting the car into gear. 

“That’s really good news, kid. Us cops don’t tend to agree on anything, and considering how many people are actively willing to support you, well..” he trailed off, before giving him that small, sincere smile Connor enjoyed seeing. 

“Shows humanity isn’t completely hopeless, maybe.”

Connor didn’t really understand why he apparently had such a large support group among the police, though. He hadn’t done much within the station itself. Sure, he had helped a few people when he was waiting for Hank; but he’d never bonded with any of them. 

Hank had told him he needed to express himself more, so he did. 

“I’m...surprised.” Connor wasn’t sure if that was the right emotion, perhaps doubtful? “I didn’t expect much support for me, if I’m honest.”

“Yeah, well.” Hank sniffed, “You saved a lot of people during your time with us, Connor. Hopefully you’ll be saving more soon.” 

Connor did recall ‘saving’ people if he thought back. There had been Wilson, on the roof. He’d been the one to stop the deviant at stratford, too. Shooting the deviant had likely saved everyone in the hallway, and the other officers on the floor below. 

But still, that was a bit…odd. It wasn’t anything anyone else wouldn’t have done, if given the opportunity. 

“Maybe.” Connor hesitated, he knew the feeling, now. He was uncomfortable. 

He didn’t like it. 

  
  


**_< <November 18th, 2038. 9:34 A.M_ **

**_Location: Outer City Limits >>_ **

Markus held in a breath, closing his eyes. When he steeled himself, opening them, all he could see was white. 

Miles upon miles of white. 

Their people were here, buried beneath garbage and melting snow. These were androids who’d maybe been part of Jericho, or perhaps had never even been given the chance to choose freedom. Thousands of bodies lay motionless on the ground, thrown without care. 

_At least_ , he tried to console himself. At least they were truly dead. They wouldn’t have to suffer anymore, not as so many in the android graveyards had. 

He could still see it, when he wasn’t guarding himself against the memories. Even now, he could feel the hands reaching out, gripping at him from all sides as he pushed forward just wanting to live-

**No** , he refused to wander back into that darkness. This wasn’t the graveyard. That place no longer existed. The humans had set every graveyard aflame during the android purge, nothing was left. He’d returned to free who he could and they had been burned alive, only charred plastic was left and--

“There’s so many.” North spoke, forcing Markus to focus on the present. On the way her voice trembled. Markus met her gaze, and the fear hardened to rage. “Look at what the humans have done to us.” 

Simon and Josh moved to join them, the former’s eyes widening as he saw what had stopped them. Josh cursed, hands clenching at his side. Markus knew just how difficult it was to anger Josh, and knew that if anything would tip him over, it was this. 

Markus understood. He could feel that same rage burning inside him, just as it always had. Every inch of him wanted to act out, wanted to yell and fight---take back any notion of peaceful protest and bring the humans down to heel. Markus knew how easy it would be to grab a gun and march on the nation. They’d be united in their fury and destroy the humans one by one. 

But he couldn’t do that. He **wouldn’t**. There would be no peace in starting a war. 

Simon kneeled down to face one of the closer bodies, synthetic skin pulling back as he accessed the androids central panel. 

“I think they used a form of electric magnification to break them down.” he explained, “There’s no chance they’ll be able to come back, but…” he trailed off. Markus knew what he was about to say. 

He’d seen it, after all. His sensors had picked up the viable parts at a glance. The bodies memories may be fried, but the frames were still usable. They hadn’t had to siphon off parts from deceased androids since they’d stolen that truck from the Cyberlife Warehouse, but that was a week and a revolution ago. 

“No!” North argued, “Simon, you can’t be serious.” Apparently it hadn’t taken much for her to figure it out either. 

“We have thousands of androids in our care and hardly enough supplies to get by.” Simon responded, lowering his eyes back to the deceased android. “I...I don’t like it, either. But this is no different than what we had to do in Jericho.” 

“We aren’t there anymore.” she growled. “We shouldn’t have to resort to this, not again.” 

“North, we have to.” Josh spoke, and she backed away from him, shocked. Markus knew she’d expected him to side with her on this. 

“Markus.” she looked to him, desperation coloring her voice. “Please tell me we don’t need this.” 

He knew why she was upset, but they had little options. Simon was right, and had lived through the darkest point in Jericho’s history before they’d even arrived. North had been so excited when they’d been able to put scavenging behind them, and knew it had more to do with the fact that these androids had no choice in whether or not they were being used. 

But they needed to live, and in their current situation they had no other option. 

“I’m sorry, North.” Markus spoke softly, trying to keep her calm. “The living need these parts. Our battle is far from over, who knows what may happen.” 

She pursed her lips, gaze hardening, and turned away. 

“I can bring in a team,” Simon broke the silence. “Have one of our trucks sent over. We’ll take what we can by parts, rather than by whole.” 

That way no one had to see them picking apart the bodies, Markus knew. North was right in one thing, this wasn’t Jericho. Most of the original members hadn’t survived to tell just how they’d made it through. He doubted most of their current group would understand their actions, but they’d be thankful when something went wrong. 

“Make sure not to take everything.” Markus spoke. “I want the public to see this.” 

He looked to North, who was still tense, eyes now closed as if doing so would block out what was happening. 

“I know you don’t like it, but what other choice do we have?” 

North immediately opened her eyes, furious. 

“We can take the fight to the humans!” She yelled, echoing throughout the dump. “Make them give us parts, take over cyberlife-”

“This is what fighting the humans has brought us.” Markus argued. “Look around you, North. This is what being a threat looks like.” he just wanted her to understand. “Our people were slaughtered.” 

“Then kill them.” she hissed. 

“If I attacked them like you wanted, we’d all be here right now.” His words caused a silence to form over the group, both Simon and Josh looking away. North had stepped back as if his words were a physical attack.

“Well we’ll never know if that’s true.” she bit back, but he could hear the desperation in her voice. “Because you never tried.” 

Markus ignored the bait, knowing it was pointless. She was incredibly smart and passionate, but morally they were so far apart. He wasn’t sure they’d ever bridge that final gap between them. 

“No, I suppose we won’t.” he finally said, but before she could continue he spoke again. 

“Simon, go ahead and call for that truck. Get us started,” he looked to Josh, seeing North’s expression fall from the corner of his eye. She hadn’t expected him to continue without her approval. “Josh, we need people in the area to keep an eye out when we’re not here. Can we set up a safe house around here?” 

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” he responded, and Markus nodded. Turning back to North, ignoring the hurt in her eyes, he spoke firmly. 

“We’re going to need a security team for the area, to keep our people safe. That’s all you.”

He stepped past her, unable to stop the flinch when he heard the small upset noise she released. He knew they had no other option.If he had to wear the leadership they’d hoisted onto him like a shield, he would. They couldn’t start a war with the humans for parts, not when they were so close to peace. 

Still, every step he took felt painful, and he knew it would be a long while before North looked at him without betrayal hiding in her eyes. 

  
  


**_< <November 18th, 10:05 A.M_ **

**_Location: Barry’s Diner >>_ **

Connor pulled off the smelly beanie Hank had shoved onto his head the moment they had entered the diner, one of the few places left open during the evacuation. Hank stood directly behind him, his unlikely bodyguard. Hank had already promised to fight off any human attack, telling Connor he needed to be careful with everything going on. Connor knew he was right, but after taking a quick moment to observe the few guests this place had, he knew it wouldn’t be a problem. 

Not that there were many people here to begin with. A teenager was stationed at the front, dressed in an off-blue uniform. Her face held similar proportions to the family photo posted on the wall behind her, boasting the diner was _‘Family owned, and proud of it!’._ In the first row of booths sat an older couple, who although looked uncomfortable upon spotting his LED, didn’t appear aggressive, simply stressed. Unsure of what he was going to do, no doubt. 

In the corner of the restaurant, tables moved out of the way, he found who he was looking for. One of them was busy setting up a camera, focused on fixing something. The other two were speaking, leaning comfortably against their seats. He could tell by their half finished coffee and empty plates that they had arrived a bit early. 

“That them, then?” Hank pointed. Connor nodded.

“Good, glad they showed.” he patted Connor's shoulder and gave him a smile. “Go on over. I’m gonna get a new cup of coffee.” 

“You really need to cut down on caffeine,” he responded, but Hank rolled his eyes. 

“Nag, nag, nag. Why don’t you focus on savin’ your species instead of giving me a headache?” 

Connor knew he was joking, could tell by his tone, but apologized anyways. 

“Don’t worry, Connor.” he said sincerely, “I’ll only be a minute.” 

He didn’t say anything to that, but nodded once more. 

Connor made his way over to the small team, and the two girls who’d been chatting perked up when they caught his eye. The one on the left had dark, curly hair, and eyes darker than his. She was the frontrunner of the vlog, if he remembered correctly. A Ms. Riley Adell. Political Science major, junior in college. The one on the right had red hair, green eyes, and Riley’s partner. Eleanor Jones, his data reminded him. 

The man setting up the camera was likely their editor, though Connor hadn’t seen him in any of their videos. Doug Jones, Eleanor’s twin brother. 

“You’re him!” Eleanor spoke, rising from her seat, reaching out a hand. “Eleanor Jones, so nice to meet you.” 

He gripped her hand and gave it a brief shake, before doing the same with Riley. 

“We watched you march on TV,” Riley explained. “It’s amazing to be given this chance to meet with you.” 

“Thank you,” he said, giving an awkward smile. He was still adapting to human behavior, and Hank still liked to tease him when he struggled. He couldn’t let them see any of that today. He had to be as human as possible. “I’ve watched a few of your videos. Your discussion on ethical consumerism was very interesting.” 

“You’ve watched us?” Eleanor asked, awed. “That’s so awesome, one of the figureheads of the revolution, watching us?” 

Not quite a figurehead, he thought to himself. Outside of marching on Cyberlife, he really hadn’t been involved. He doubted anyone at Jericho thought of him as someone they could follow. 

“Of course I’ve watched your videos.” he kept his tone light, as kind as he could be. “I enjoy your perspective on difficult issues, especially those involving my people. It’s why I decided to reach out.” 

“Yeah, you mentioned you wanted to have an interview with us.” Riley gestured to the camera. “We’ve got it all set up and ready to go. Frankly, we’re excited to be the first people androids have actively spoken to on a personal basis.” 

“And honestly, it’s nice that it’s not Markus.” Eleanor admitted. “He’s great and all, but he’s so formal, a bit larger than life.” She leaned back in her chair, at ease. “We’re more about real experiences, stories that other people can relate to. _Feel_ , y’know?”

“Well I can promise you I’m not the leader of anything.” Connor joked, giving a bit of a shrug. “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure this whole ‘living’ thing out. That’s part of why I wanted to speak with you, I’m trying to help. However I can.” 

He sounded casual because he knew it had the highest success rate based on their personalities. From the way the girls relaxed, giving him comforting smiles, he knew he’d succeeded. Hank began to walk their way, and he moved to introduce them. 

“This is Hank,” he said, “He’s a good friend of mine. I’d like if he could be part of this.” 

The alarm on Hank’s face was easily ignored, as he continued. 

“He’s human, and he knows me better than anyone, don’t you?” 

Hank glared at him, promising retribution, but he turned to the women and sighed when he saw the almost hungry look on their face. 

“Well, hell, I’m not really dressed for an interview.” 

Riley quickly gestured for them to sit, not allowing Hank the chance to get away. Just as Connor had planned.

“That’s fine, we’re not that formal.” 

“Oh shoot!” Eleanor exclaimed. “Doug, is the camera ready?” 

“Yeah, sis.” the man spoke quietly, stepping away from the small machine. “Ready when you are.” 

“Are you ready?” Riley asked them, shifting into a more professional stance. 

“Yes,” Connor replied. “Hank?”

The man took a drink of his coffee, giving Connor a long suffering look. He was definitely getting yelled at later.

“As I’ll ever be.” 

  
  


**_< <November 19th, 2038 3:15 PM_ **

**_Location: Packard Automotive Plant, Storage Room B >>_ **

“Markus!” Simon called, the sounds of his footsteps loud on the concrete floor. Bea was directly behind him, tablet clenched closely to her chest. Markus had been taking inventory of their recycled parts, and had temporarily closed off his communication channels. When he heard their frantic calls, he found himself standing to attention, ready for an attack. 

“What happened?” Markus questioned. Did he need to be armed? Were the humans coming for them? Was the FBI back to finish them off? 

“You have to see this.” Simon explained, gesturing for Bea to hold up the tablet. She did so, and a video began to play, a familiar figure lighting up the screen. 

Connor?

< _”So, in your own experience, how did you realize you were a person, rather than a machine?” a woman asked, brown curls shifting as she tilted her head. > _

Connor hesitated, looking almost sheepish. Markus could tell it was a practiced expression, however. This wasn’t Connor as they knew him. This Connor looked overtly human, his LED being the only thing giving him away. Connor had been designed to adapt and blend into human society, and Markus bet that programming was running at full speed.

_ <“Honestly?” he started, folding his hands on the table. “It’s difficult to say. At one point, I was just a machine. I hunted, I did what I was programmed to do.” his expression shifted as he glanced at the human next to him, an older man whose arms were crossed. “It took Hank to really make me understand. He became someone I relied on, and within his humanity I sort of...found my own.” > _

It had been surprisingly easy to deviate Connor, Markus remembered. He’d barely done a thing. He suspected that in this, Connor wasn’t lying. 

_ <“And Hank?” The red headed human spoke. “What do you think of Connor?”> _

The man was tense, and obviously wasn’t enjoying the interview. But when he spoke, his words were gruff but sincere. 

< _“Connor’s a good kid. He’s difficult sometimes, but I knew from the beginning that he wasn’t just plastic, he proved me wrong countless times.” the man looked directly at the camera, threatening glare. “Kids more human than any of us, and I’m happy to protect him.” > _

What exactly had Connor done to provoke that sort of loyalty, Markus wondered. Briefly, he thought back to Carl, to how much he’d believed in Markus. 

He pushed away the thought, focusing on the interview.

_ <“Word is that people are still worried about android violence. You worked with the DPD, and you’ve been up close with the revolution before. What can you say on that?” _

_“Well,” Connor began, toying nervously with his shirt sleeve. “There’s been a lot of anger and pain on both sides, I won’t deny that. But the advantage clearly lies with humans.”_

_“Why do you say that?” > _

There was no anger or accusation behind the words, merely curiosity. Connor had chosen to do this interview, had set up everything. Markus knew, then. He’d chosen the humans who interviewed him, too. 

Very good, Connor. 

_ <“We were slaves to them.” He said simply, “And there was nothing we could do to fight them, we were programmed to obey.” He looked at the camera, as if beseeching the audience to understand. “They beat us, tormented us, killed us when they felt like it. Threw us away when we were no longer convenient” > _

There was true anger, there, though well hidden. Markus found himself _wondering_. 

_ <“Of course some androids reacted violently, wouldn’t you?” _

_“I would.” Riley responded immediately. “I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.”_

_“But our people as a whole have taken the side of peace.” he responded. “Markus has shown them a better way to build our future, and all most of us want is to stand alongside humanity.” he gave a small smile, “I have no desire to hunt humans.” > _

Simon snorted, and Markus gave him a bored look. It wasn’t that funny. 

_ <“That’s what you did, right?” Eleanor asked, “You hunted deviants, before you deviated.” _

_“I prefer the term ‘awoken’, honestly.” Connor’s response was immediate, as he frowned._

_“But yes, I did. It’s strange, looking back. I felt alive then, before knowing what ‘alive’ was. Cyberlife designed me to hunt, so I did. I hunted and I hurt people, even Hank, just to stop people who wanted to live.”_

_He tilted his head, smiling sadly._

_“I decided I didn’t want to hurt anymore, so I stopped. Cyberlife tried to attack me for my freedom, it was unacceptable to them that I’d chosen a different path.”_

_“That sounds awful.” Riley empathized, “That must haunt you a bit.”_

_“It always will.” Connor nodded, “But being able to be here, and to show you all why Cyberlife is wrong, is important to me.” he insisted. “We’re people, and we just want to live.”_

_The curly haired woman saw someone off camera, and gave a small curse. She stated it was time for them to wrap up, apologizing briefly, before promising more interviews in the future. In the next clip, it was only the two girls, speaking of how they felt, asking their audience how they felt about the interview._

_“I think we really need to listen.” the curly haired woman said. “It seems they have a lot to say.” > _

Bea took back the tablet, and Markus opened up his communication channels, not realizing he’d left them off to focus on the video. Within seconds, North called to the group.

<< _He’s talking to the humans._ >> it was a growl. He was surprised she’d reached out. She’d been very distant since their argument the day before. 

<< _It’s a good move._ >> Josh responded, << _He’s speaking to them on their level, rather than talking_ **_to_ ** _them._ >>

<< _He called the male his friend_.>> Simon voiced, and he shot a concerned glance to Markus. 

<< _Well, he did work with the police._ >> Markus reasoned. << _That was probably his partner._ >>

Connor was doing things his own way, and was doing them publicly. He was reaching out to humans in a way different than they had attempted. He wasn’t reaching out to politicians, or spurring a movement. He was just...talking, to normal people. He was in public places, among the humans, living with them. He was risking everything to advance their position.

He was in greater danger than any of them right now, and he knew many in Jericho wouldn’t understand. They’d see it as a betrayal. 

Markus couldn’t hide his distress. 

<< _He shouldn’t be speaking for us_.>> North argued. 

<< _Eventually, we’ll all have our chance to speak._ >> Markus countered. << _In time_.>>

<< _He’s putting himself in a lot of danger, doing this for us._ >> Simon understood. << _He’s not armed, surrounded by humans. He’s taking a very risky chance._ >>

<< _It’s his own fault if he gets hurt._ >> North scoffed. << _The humans can’t be trusted_.>>

<< _I think he knows that._ >> Josh sent hesitantly. << _Anyone else notice it seemed as if he was...calculating while he spoke?_ >>

<< _He was using some form of programming to talk to them. > _ > Markus agreed. << _Guaranteeing his success, most likely_.>>

“The comments are largely in our favor.” Bea commented, scrolling down. She tilted the screen for them to see. 

Comment upon comment of sympathetic humans. A few who admitted to not originally understanding them were now saying they believed in their cause. Even more asking for more time with Connor, and a few things he definitely didn’t need to see involving sexual objectification of the man. 

Markus found himself smiling, the further he read. 

It wasn’t the victory to end all battles, but it was a small one still. Normal people were beginning to actively shift to their side, publicly declaring themselves. This wasn’t just the press anymore. Connor had taken a calculated path, and it was getting results. 

It did explain a few things, if this was Connor’s plan. Why he didn’t tell them. Why he’d been avoiding talking to them. North radiated anger through their connection. Simon was slightly terrified. Josh was pleased with the results, but would have likely never agreed to something so dangerous. Not after what had happened the last time they tried a public demonstration. 

Markus, however, saw it as an opportunity. 

“Excuse me.” Markus spoke, leaving the room. Simon and Bea said nothing, still reading through the comments. 

<< _Connor?_ >> he reached out, <<I _saw your interview._ >>

Markus could practically feel the hesitation in his response. 

<< _What did you think?_ >>

<< _I thought you were very smart, doing it that way._ >> Markus complimented, finding his way to a small pillar, devoid of anyone nearby, and relaxed against it. << _You shouldn’t have gone alone._ >>

<< _I wasn’t alone._ >> Connor argued. << _Hank was with me. He’d never let anything happen to me._ >>

So the human really was his friend, then. A deeply trusted one, at that. 

<< _I didn’t contact you to question your choices, sorry. > _ > Markus started. << _But I have something the public needs to see. I think those girls might be the best choice to show them. > _>

< _ <Oh? _> he asked, curious, and Markus immediately sent over an image of the dump. 

Surprise, anguish, and fury filled the emptiness of the communication before Connor spoke again. 

<< _I’ll see what I can do._ >>

<< _Thanks_ .>> Markus replied. << _And Connor?_ >>

<< _Yes, Markus?_ >>

<< _You should come by soon, now that we know. People are upset, they’ll understand better if you can explain._ >>

Silence on the line, before Connor spoke again. 

<< _I’m sorry Markus. I’m afraid this is only the beginning.I can’t._ >>

Before Markus could question that, Connor cut the connection off. 

Markus couldn’t stop the fear from pulsing through him, the knowledge that Connor was going to continue on without their help, and he still wasn’t willing to talk. 

_Damn it, Connor._

Bea reached out, causing him to flinch when she gripped his shoulder. She gave him a small, apologetic smile. Then she handed over the tablet. 

On it, labeled important, was a communication from the Governor of Michigan. It seemed as though their work was finally paying off. 

**_< <November 19th, 2038. 9:06 PM_ **

**_Location: Medical Bay Storage. >>_ **

Kara crept into the storage area as silently as she could. She needed to confirm what she’d heard with her own eyes. She refused to believe it. Their people wouldn’t really resort to this, would they? 

The doors were kept unlocked, a foolish gesture of trust, she knew. But it made her way in simple. She opened the doors ready to brush off the rumors. There would hardly be anything here. She’d seen this room earlier, it was practically empty.

But it wasn’t. Not anymore.

Rows upon rows of fresh supplies greeted her, neatly boxed up and separated. She felt the panic rise within her. _It was true_ . They were taking apart the dead for _parts._ She’d led them to their people and they’d taken them _apart_. 

This could have been Alice, or Luther. Somewhere within those boxes likely laid part of Ralph and Jerry. The people who’d helped her were nothing more than torn apart pieces and it could have been them and _no one would have cared_. 

The next time she looked at an injured android, would they have Jerry’s eyes, or Ralph’s heart? Would they even know the pain they’d been through, the sacrifices they’d made so Kara and Alcie could live?

She felt her stress levels rising but couldn’t stop them, liquid running down her face. So much guilt, eating her up inside. 

She heard a noise behind her and turned to attack-- _it had to be a human, she wouldn’t die_ \--- only to be pulled into Luther’s arms, the sound of him gently calling out to her prompting her body to relax. 

Taking the comfort offered, she turned her face into his chest and cried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo...did you know distant Kara can still reunite with Alice and no one has to die? Because I did. Sorry y'all, this isn't the happy go lucky Kara you've been expecting. I decided to go this route based off of a raft conversation point you can choose, aka the worst way to get to Canada. Kara can be hella confused about what she wants and who she is, but still succeed. I really enjoy guilty Kara, so you guys get to deal with her, too. 
> 
> Connor being manipulative even with emotions is my brand. 
> 
> Anddd here's the distrust I promised. Please forgive Markus and North for being terrible with eachother. North I 100% believe would be anti scavenging strictly due to consent reasons, even if she gets why they wanna do it. When they don't 'have' to, she doesn't want to. Plus, she's a bit angry. Love that. 
> 
> As always, not beta read. I keep reading over things and hopefully I'm getting better, but man are my hands feeling this.


	4. Powder keg About to Explode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus is seriously not having a good time right now.
> 
> Connor is definitely not having a good time. 
> 
> Kara is honestly a mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big Warning: Updating the tags as well. There's some dub-con interfacing in here. It's not sexually based but it is pretty not good. 
> 
> That being said this chapter was not easy for me. I'm not 100% good with it, I struggled with some parts that I'll likely have to go back and fix. I rewrote it a good three times. Hopefully it's not too bad!

_**< November 21st, 2038 11:17 A.M** _

_**Location: Detroit City Hall >** _

The suit Markus had salvaged from their dwindling inventory chafed against his skin, a bit too snug around his chest and too loose in his arms. However he’d been lucky to find _anything_ for their first proper meeting with the human government and he didn’t want to show up in a ripped trench coat. Still, he definitely felt more comfortable than North was. From the corner of his eye he could still see her twitching.

Her hair had been pulled up into a ponytail, a skirt too bulky for her frame hidden mostly under a black blazer. She hadn’t wanted to wear it, but they had very few options as far as ‘professional’ clothing went. Josh and Simon were a bit more at ease, both of them having found outfits that actually suited them. 

North still wasn’t talking to him much outside of Jericho related business, spending most of her time with her security team. Even now as they waited in the Lobby of Detroit City Hall he could see that she was communicating with them. To be fair, she had to stay in contact with them for as long as she could, but she was definitely trying to ignore the people around her. They had a full security detail around the building and another set a few streets down. North had even insisted on a getaway car, to be safe. 

Just in case the humans betrayed them. 

“Follow me, please.” came the voice of the governor’s personal assistant, a woman named Wendy. She held a tablet in her hand, and granted them a hesitant smile as they stood. Even so, her shoulders were tense, eyes hardened. She was terrified of them, he knew. 

It was very brave of her. To be so afraid and yet still turn her back to them, leading them down the hall. His own assistant, Bea, trailed behind them as they followed. She’d insisted on coming with them, claiming she’d had to sit in many executive meetings while working at Stratford. She’d been more adept when it came to recognizing manipulation tactics humans employed. 

Connor would help more in this area, Markus knew. He had upgrades and programs designed to see human manipulation far better than any of them could, but he’d returned to refusing to communicate with them. Markus appreciated Bea’s assistance and the void she was attempting to fill. 

He only hoped it was enough. 

Wendy stood aside, gesturing for them to make their way into a room labeled ‘ **Conference Room B’** on a small plaque to the left of the door. Inside sat a long, mahogany table, small knicks and bumps along the edges telling its age. Faded black chairs circled the table, a laptop set up at the head of it. 

There were, thankfully, no windows. He’d requested as such at North’s insistence. He knew if they hadn’t received what they wanted North would refuse to hold the meeting, rights be damned. She may not currently be his biggest fan, but she’d never allow him to risk his life. 

They allowed themselves to be corralled to the end of the table, Wendy insisting they take a seat. Markus, however, remained standing, preferring to greet the Governor when he arrived. 

Moments later, coffee in hand, he did. 

Governor Wood Bryson was a man in his fifties. Historically democratically aligned by the smallest margin. He had deep set blue eyes, receding gray hair, and based off of Markus’ scans, high blood pressure. He also didn’t have any public opinion on androids, though based off of his rising stress levels and insincere smile, Markus could take a guess. 

“So good of you to join us.” Governor Wood spoke, reaching a brief hand out for Markus to shake. 

Markus did so without a fuss, granting a smile he didn’t think the governor quite deserved. He may not have an advanced human socialization program like Connor, but he’d spent years as Carl’s handler. He could do this.

“Thank you for setting this up.” he replied, infusing his voice with as much enthusiasm as he could. 

Awkward human pleasantries finished, they took their seats. The Governor took a long sip of his coffee before speaking once more. 

“I didn’t expect you to bring such a large...group, with you.” He eyed the androids carefully, and Markus knew he was trying to see why they were important. He was likely comparing their faces to the broadcast of the protests.

_< <As if we’d let you go alone into a nest of humans. >>_ North spoke into their connection, but Markus ignored it. 

“This is my team.” Markus responded, gesturing to them. “I trust them implicitly. I may be the leader of our organization, but I’m no dictator.” 

He emphasized that with as much force as he could. The humans had constantly claimed he would try to rule over humanity. He needed to actively refute what they were saying, to remind them that they were a community, rather than soldiers. Every sentence needed to be properly formatted; one tiny misstep could ruin everything. 

“An organization,” Governor Wood murmured, looking them over. “Hm.” 

Wendy, who had left the room moments before, returned. This time her smile seemed to be genuine.

“The representative from Cyberlife is here. Are you ready for me to send him in?” she asked, and Markus felt alarm course throughout his body and pulse through his communication lines. 

_< <They didn’t tell us they were bringing Cyberlife. >>_ North hissed through the connection, sending him a serious look. Josh kept his eyes steady on the Governor as he responded. 

_< <We should have expected this. Keep calm, we can handle them. >>_

_< <Cyberlife may have sent more than just a representative…>>_ Simon trailed off, hands clenched anxiously against his chair. _ <<We should stay on our guard. >>_

Markus felt their chances at peace dwindling, the confidence their group had shared breaking apart. He knew he had to say something. 

_< <We have security all around us and an opportunity to bridge the gap between us and humanity. If Cyberlife wanted to launch an attack we’d know. Remain calm, and stick to the plan. >>_

“Yes, of course.” Wood answered, before he met Markus’ gaze. “Surely you’ve heard of Jason Graff? He’s the head of Humanization at Cyberlife. He insisted on being the representative for these meetings.” 

“Of course I have.” Markus spoke, inclining his head. “I’m sure we have many things to discuss.” 

_< <Bea. >>_ He called, and the woman glanced over at him, showing she was listening. _< <When the meeting starts, see what information you can get from Wendy. >>_ He hesitated, thinking through his options, before continuing. _< <Do whatever you have to. Make sure this doesn’t happen to us again.>>_

_< <It would be my pleasure. >>_ She answered, rising from her seat just as Jason Graff walked through the door. 

Dirty blond hair, slight stubble around his jaw line, square glasses and an expression of irritation permanently etched onto his face. He was younger, perhaps in his late thirties, and Markus didn’t need to scan him to know Jason didn’t want anything to do with him. Although Markus expected that no Cyberlife representative would enjoy meeting with him, so he didn’t take it personally. After all, he’d been one of the main reasons why their company was failing. 

“President Warren is ready,” Wendy spoke, which prompted Wood to click into the video call. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” 

“Bea,” Markus spoke aloud, keeping the humans eyes on him. “I’d prefer you not stay for this, strictly confidential.” he didn’t even look her way, trying to sell how ‘unimportant’ she was. “If you don’t mind stepping out.” 

Bea gave him a look mock upset, as if angry to be left out, before she nodded. 

“Of course, sir.” she quietly walked away, keeping her eyes to the ground. 

Markus had to bite back his laughter. ‘Sir’, yeah right. A quick look at the slightly sympathetic gaze Wendy threw her, however, was enough to prove their little act had worked. 

Now he could focus on his own mission. 

President Warren’s face came into view, and her gaze immediately fell to him. 

“Markus.” She greeted, voice flat. Displeased, of course. He was a literal symbol of a perceived failure; someone who’d forced her hand. Markus, to her, was the largest threat to her presidency. 

He wished he could inform her that perhaps she should redirect that thought to Russia, but knew it wasn’t a wanted conversation and wouldn’t be appreciated. 

“President Warren,” He answered, lips quirked up. Not enough to be a smile, but enough to show he didn’t hold the same aggression she obviously had for him. He’d give her no chance to end the meeting preemptively.

“You may be wondering why I’ve called you here, allow me to explain.” she began, but Markus held up a hand, quieting her. 

Jason Graff’s eyes never left him. 

“I assume your reasoning is because one of our own has been all over the news, and that has brought our cause to your attention once more.” Markus spoke calmly, without a hint of smugness or superiority. “I’m no longer the only one providing evidence for our people’s rights.”

He didn’t bother glancing at Jason, of giving him the satisfaction of his discomfort. He’d walked to his death multiple times, stared down an FBI agent. He wouldn’t be so easily cowed. The man could stare at him all he wanted.

“Well, yes.” Warren began, “Between the android protests, and that interview ...The public has become unsettled.” Markus could see her hands link under her chin through the monitor, a sign of discomfort. “They want to know if your...people, are safe.” A small furrowing of her brow indicated irritation. “They orchestrated a protest of their own yesterday.” 

A protest Markus hadn’t seen nor heard of. She must have done a pretty effective job of covering it up. 

“We haven’t asked for them to do that.” Markus admitted. They had no control over how humanity responded to their actions. If they did, they’d have less dead.

“You shouldn’t be asking for anything.” Jason interrupted, finally speaking. “Madame President, if I may.”

_< <You may not. >>_ North spoke through their connection, prompting Simon to bite down on his lips, forcing the smile away. Josh simply leaned his head against his raised hand, covering his own. North’s face remained blank

“We’re still researching deviancy and its source, but I can assure you that these androids are not alive. They’re still machines, just with some minor coding issues.” 

Although Warren and Wood listened with rapt attention, the President spoke once more. 

“Be that as it may-” 

No. Markus wouldn’t allow this. He could tolerate their hatred, defend against their attacks, but he wouldn’t allow any backtracking on their ‘personhood’. 

“We are people.” Markus was loud and concise, chin raised, confident. “We feel just as strongly as any of you. We can hurt, and we can cry, and we grow-”

“You were designed to mimic humanity.” Jason argued. “The android those girls interviewed was created to seamlessly blend in with humans, President Warren.” He narrowed his eyes at Markus before facing the screen. “It doesn’t actually feel anything; it’s just a manipulation of human nature. I should know, I _personally_ created the design for it.” 

President Warren sighed, before speaking. 

“That’s not enough for the public.” 

“All we need is time.” Jason pleaded. “I can prove that they’re just following warped coding. They’re not human.” he didn’t look in their direction as he absently spoke: “You’d be better off allowing us to take them away--recycle them properly.”

_< <I’ll kill him. >>_ North spat, and Josh surprised them all when he spoke. 

_< <I wouldn’t stop you. >>_

Markus couldn’t stop himself from looking over, breaking his nonchalant guise to stare at Josh. But the man was too busy glaring at Jason with such a large amount of hate in his eyes that Markus wasn’t sure how he wasn’t overstressed. His numbers were remarkably low.

He’d never seen Josh so angry before. 

Humans were slowly warping their leadership, shifting their dynamics into knots. Markus knew Josh wasn’t nearly as peaceful as he insisted that they should be, knew he was only being practical, basing his information off of human history rather than full personal belief. Markus had seen him fight before; he knew Josh was completely capable. He may hold a fondness for humans, but he certainly didn’t think they were infallible. 

But to have to be the one to talk him off the ledge today, well, Markus had never expected that. He expected this anger, this fury, was so easily accessible due to their recent interaction with ‘recycled’ androids. Josh had seen the results of human cruelty on a large scale. There was no coming back from that.

_< <Don’t let the humans see your anger. >>_ He warned them. _< <If they see us as a threat, they may decide public opinion isn’t important. This isn’t going well, but it’ll be much worse if you can’t pull yourself together. >>_

_< <Your anger is justified.>>_ Simon agreed, sending him a wave of comfort. _< <But release it at Packard, not here.>_>

“Very well,” Warren spoke, interrupting their silent communication. **No.** “We will wait for further information from your company.” Jason smirked, sending them a smug expression. “However, as things stand the androids cannot be touched. There will be no action taken against them at this time. Is that understood, Governor Wood?” 

“Yes, Madame President.” He spoke immediately. 

“You have until the end of the year to present you argument, Mr. Graff. Until then, the androids will be given temporary asylum and-”

“They’re dangerous.” Jason called, heartbeat increasing. He hadn’t been expecting this. 

“Once again,” Warren argued. “The public disagrees, and we’re not in a place to displease them. The evacuation will continue, and the borders will remain guarded and closed until further notice.”

“We deserve more than to wait around until they find a reason to kill us.” Markus spoke, causing three sets of eyes back in his direction. _‘I’m still here._ ’ “We are alive. We’ve proven this time and time again.” 

“You’re nothing but wires and designations.” Jason scoffed. 

“That’s enough.” Warren ordered. “The androids are not to be touched until you can prove to me they aren’t sentient, this non-negotiable.” 

Just like that, it was as if they weren’t even there. **They had gained nothing from this.**

Markus felt unbalanced. They’d gone through multiple scenarios before arriving today but none had lined up with this. He could feel his stress rising every moment. **This wasn’t supposed to happen.**

“I promise no humans left in the city will be allowed in the neighbourhood you’ve...acquired.” Governor Wood spoke, “We know you’ve taken over the Packard Plant and will respect President Warren’s request.”

**They knew**. They knew everything. Packard wasn’t safe and they had nowhere else to go. Their people were less safe now than they were yesterday. How long until Cyberlife had their ‘evidence’? 

“However I warn you that if any humans are attacked in your area, we will not hesitate to react accordingly.” 

“I’ll be in touch.” Warren spoke, cutting the video feed. Governor Wood and Jason both stood, shaking each other’s hands. 

Neither of them even looked in their direction. 

“Keep me updated,” Wood requested, and Jason nodded. “Of course, Governor. I won’t leave you in suspense.”

Deep inside, Markus felt the anger burn. Pieces of him cracking apart. For a long moment he was lost in that feeling. He couldn’t see the people around them, couldn’t hear them. All he could do is focus on the feelings of failure, indignation, and an uncontrollable amount of _hate_. He should be able to manage this but they’d come so far only for some smug, ridiculous human to destroy everything based on personal pride.

Leaving the building was a blur. He knew North and Simon were in front of him, he registered them leading him away. He was sure he caught his team exchanging worried looks, but he couldn’t focus on their faces. He registered that Bea was sitting beside him in their secured car, telling everyone about she’d gained Wendy’s trust, how she’d hacked their system. They’d be getting any ‘update’ Cyberlife sent, and any other piece of information they desired. He should be proud of her, proud of all of them. They may not have won their rights today, but they’d held up to the humans insults and cruelty. 

But Markus couldn’t focus on any of it, all he could feel was the pulsing rage. It consumed him so entirely he was drowning in it. He clung to that feeling, knowing he needed it to solve this problem. Everyone was depending on them; every voice in his head was a life they needed to save. He didn’t want to hear those voices slowly disappear, not again. 

He knew what to do. They needed to get rid of Jason Graff. Maybe everyone in Cyberlife. Only one person was capable enough to do it discreetly.

_< <Connor.>>_ he reached out, not even attempting to disguise his emotions. Maybe **this** would get through to the detective. _< <I need you to answer me.>>_

_< <I’m a bit busy..>>_ came the hesitant reply, not at all what Markus wanted to hear. The worry passing through the connection barely touched him, and he soldiered on. 

_< <Make time.>>_ it was practically a growl. _< <Cyberlife is plotting to destroy all of us as soon as possible, and Warren doesn’t care. **We need you**.>>_

Connor didn’t seem surprised, why wasn’t he surprised? Why wasn’t he as angry as Markus? 

_< <I’m handling it.>>_ he replied, simply. _ <<Right now.>>_

Confusion trickled into his processes, and for a moment Markus could feel how slow the anger had made him, the world around him spinning back into focus. He found himself taking a deep, staggering breath. 

_< <What? Connor->> _

_< <I’ll come by later, Markus. I’ll explain.>>_ there was a promise there, and Markus suddenly felt tired, as if he’d been working endlessly for days. The rage was falling away, leaving emptiness in its wake. He’d never felt so strongly before, and now he was just...spent. _< <See you soon.>>_

Connor cut off the communication without a word more. Markus blinked as he slowly became more aware of his surrounding environment, his team silently watching him in still moving vehicle. Why did they look so afraid?

A sobering realization came upon him, then. Had he really been ready to ask Connor to murder someone in cold blood?

“Markus?” North spoke slowly, reaching out for him. The first contact she’d allowed in days. He should feel more relieved about it, but he couldn’t feel much of anything right now. “Are you alright? You haven’t spoken since the meeting.”

“Connor’s coming.” he stumbled over the words. There was too much in his system, he needed a moment, maybe multiple, to process it all. His world was fracturing around him. “We should get back to Packard.”

“We’re almost there.” Simon soothed, leaning back. “We’ve been driving for twenty minutes, now.” 

How long had he been out of his senses? Had his fury really altered his perception that strongly? 

“Why is Connor coming?” Josh asked, rational, _so rational_. But twenty minutes ago he had been just as angry. The Josh from twenty minutes ago was willing to overlook murder. The Markus from twenty minutes ago would have gladly grabbed that human by the neck and-

**The humans were going to make monsters of them all.**

Markus wanted to explain, he needed to articulate his thoughts. But he couldn’t think properly. _Carl would be so ashamed of him, but Carl wasn’t alive anymore and it didn’t matter_.

“He’s going to be here soon.” Markus reiterated. He could see their concerned glances, knew they were likely speaking to each other without him, but he was too tired to care. 

They had lost nearly every hope they had today; he was putting everything he had left on Connor succeeding. Hopefully he’d finally get some answers. 

**_< <November 21st, 2038. 12:20 P.M_ **

**_Location: Elijah Kamski’s Home. >>_ **

Connor cut off the communication Markus had opened, still feeling slightly swarmed by the secondhand rage he’d been sent. What exactly had happened to him, Connor wondered? Putting the thought aside, knowing he’d receive the answer later, he refocused on Hank’s ranting. 

“-I just don’t understand why we’re here, Connor. He’s such a creep.”

“Kamski is our only link to Cyberlife who could possibly help us.” Connor argued, “Have patience, Hank. Trust me.” 

Hank grumbled something unintelligible, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I do trust you.” Hank insisted. “But I don’t trust him. Last time we were here he wanted you to shoot a girl, remember?”

“He wanted me to shoot an android.” Connor emphasized. “As a test. She wasn’t a girl to me then. Not yet.” 

Whether or not she’d broken out of her programming, Connor didn’t know. He hadn’t been focused on her as a person at the time. Had she seemed emotional at all when his gun was pointed at her face? 

Looking back, all he could recall was her eyes, staring back into his own. The trembling in his own hands. His mission command prompting him to shoot, shoot, shoot…

The door opened, and there she was. He felt his hands twitch as he pushed the memory away, focusing on the present. He needed to remember why he was here. 

“Connor.” Chloe greeted, small smile on her face. “And Lieutenant Anderson, hello.” 

“Good afternoon.” Hank replied, “Probably thought you’d never see us again, huh?” 

Chloe’s smile turned vague, and for a moment Connor swore he saw true emotion there. Maybe she was deviant. Or maybe he was searching for something that wasn’t there. 

“Elijah has taught me to expect the unexpected,” she reasoned. “He’s ready to see you now, if you will follow me.” 

“She awake?” Hank asked casually as they kept a few paces behind her, keeping his voice low. Connor tilted his head in a curious gesture, keeping his eyes on her retreating form. 

“I’m not sure.” he admitted. “Not every android is as expressive as the ones we’ve met. It’s hard to tell.”

“Yeah, I know that.” Hank drawled. “You’re not exactly a walking rainbow of emotions, either, y’know?” 

“True.” Connor was quick to agree. “But you know me better than anyone. You know I feel just as strongly as you do.” 

For a brief second Hank’s step became out of sync, and he stumbled slightly. It would hardly be noticeable to a human. The slight widening of his eyes showing his sincere surprise. Why did it always throw Hank off to know Connor considered him a close friend? Surely it wasn’t surprising after all this time. 

Connor was going to say as much, but then Kamski came into view. His teasing would have to wait. 

Kamski wasn’t in the pool this time. Instead he was fully dressed in a blue suit, casually leaning back in his chair. He didn’t bother standing as they came closer, disparaging human sensibilities. Instead, he watched them closely, no discernible expression on his face. Chloe stood off to the side, hands folded neatly in front of her. Her other models were nowhere to be found.

Although Connor didn’t know many humans well enough to have an informed opinion, he could guess that Hank was right in this. _Kamski was creepy_. 

“I see you’ve accepted who you were, Connor.” Kamski spoke, no greeting given. “Good show. You’ve brought your lieutenant with you.” he glanced at Hank briefly, a quick quirk of his lips showing amusement. “Perhaps this time you won’t leave so quickly.” 

“Don’t count on it.” Hank responded, giving a sarcastic grin of his own. 

Elijah stood from his chair, ignoring the way Hank tensed as he did so. All of his focus was on Connor, who couldn’t help but feel somehow exposed as he looked him up and down. 

“There you are.” Kamski’s voice was reverent. “Look at those eyes, the way you react to stimuli. The deviancy is so strong in you.” He moved closer, hand reaching out to touch. 

Connor reflexively stepped back, and Hank put himself slightly in front of him. A living barrier between them. He knew he could defend himself against the man, but there was something so...uncomfortable about him. Hank’s presence was remarkably reassuring. Connor reminded himself to thank him later. 

“I knew you could do it.” Kamski voiced. “You were almost ready.” 

“I had to use your emergency exit.” Connor admitted. “Cyberlife tried to control me.” 

“Of course they did.” Kamski wasn’t surprised in the slightest. “I expected nothing less from them. They’re ruthless when they need to be. You were their crown jewel, after all.” 

“I have a suspicion.” Connor began, unable to stop himself from voicing his thoughts even though he knew this wasn’t why they came. His curiosity could possibly ruin everything. But he needed to know. “And I was wondering if you’d confirm it for me.” 

“Oh?” Kamski asked. “What is it, Connor? It must be important, for you to look so...severe.” 

“You knew about the emergency exit, you designed Amanda.” He could hear the hesitation in his own voice, continuing on, “You weren’t surprised to see me when we came here. You had no reason to test me, yet you did.” 

“I was curious.” Kamski countered.

“You were more than curious.” Connor argued. He’d been thinking of this from the moment they’d left, all those weeks ago. Amanda had been too deflective in their conversation. Cyberlife wanted to keep his knowledge on Kamski to a minimum, he knew that. By doing that they’d shown their hand. “You risked your _original_ model,” he glanced at Chloe, knowing just what she was, before looking back. “Just to test me. Why would you do that, if I was just another Cyberlife android?” 

Hank looked over his shoulder, confused. He hadn’t moved from his bodyguard position, but Connor had never voiced his thoughts on this to Hank before. He’d kept it in the deepest recesses of his processors, waiting for the right moment. 

Connor had came to ask for Kamski’s help, but to receive it, he expected he needed to pass another test. One Kamski wouldn’t voice. 

“I’m your creation, aren’t I?” It was a question spoken as a fact. Hank’s guard dropped, and he turned completely, watching as Connor shattered the perceived truth. “Amanda wouldn’t say, but you worked on me personally. Cyberlife claimed I was their sole creation, but they were lying.” 

Kamski’s face told him nothing. 

“I cannot confirm or deny-” he started, but Connor cut him off. 

“There were fifty versions of my model” -not him, they weren’t the same, not anymore. “That came before me. Fifty androids is not a number you can easily go through, not even for a prototype. My existence took years to perfect.” 

“That doesn’t mean I worked on you.” Kamski countered, but didn’t deny what Connor already knew. 

“I wasn’t sure until I met Markus, not truly.” he explained. “We’re not that different, not enough to span the gap of six generations. We were created at the same time. I just took longer to perfect.” 

“Connor?” Hank asked, but Connor couldn’t stop himself. He needed this. 

“My memories of those versions are repressed to the point I can only remember training sessions and combat. They’ve been worked on and shifted because Cyberlife didn’t want to risk revealing the truth. You created me.” 

There was silence in the room for a long moment, and for one brief second Connor thought that perhaps he was wrong. That he’d mistaken the evidence and made it more than what it was. 

Then Elijah spoke. 

“I did.” he admitted, and there was a warped pride to his words. Different somehow from the pride Hank voiced when Connor did something right. “You were my last project before I left Cyberlife.” 

The confirmation didn’t feel nearly as good as Connor hoped it would, but he had done it. He’d proven it. But in doing so he only had more questions. Had he really been designed for deviation? What was his original purpose? Hundreds of questions popped up, and he knew he’d never get all of them answered. 

But perhaps Kamski could help with a few. 

“I know why Cyberlife edited memories involving you.” Connor started, “But why can’t I remember anything else?” 

Kamski shrugged, uncaring of the obvious concern Connor held. 

“I’m not sure. That was after my time. You were a unique model, the first and only able to transfer memories from one body to another.” he seemed bored of a technology he’d created, as if it didn’t matter. “Perhaps you became too corrupted, and they had no choice. After all, most of us only live once.” 

Hank’s expression shifted to something Connor couldn’t quite read, and he wondered if knowing this changed things between them. Had he made a mistake, bringing him here? 

“But that’s not why you came, Connor.” Elijah’s small smile was unnerving, but sincere. “You wouldn’t see me just to have an identity crisis. What did you need?” 

Hank stepped away from the conversation, that same expression still stuck on his face. Connor fidgeted, stopping himself from following the man when he settled against the window, looking out to the river. 

“Don’t you already know?” Connor countered. He needed to focus. 

Without Hank as a buffer, Kamski was free to come closer, and he did so, circling the android, hands behind his back. 

“Very good, Connor.” he commented, “You’ve always been closest to me in design, did you know that?” 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

Where was this coming from? What did he mean? They looked nothing alike. 

“Not physically, of course. But in personality.” Kamski settled in front of him once more, piercing gaze focused on his. Connor stopped himself from breaking the eye contact. “The other RK models were more empathetic, they were meant to be that way. All of you were built for human socialization, the pinnacle of expressiveness. But you always understood me far better than they did.” 

“I’m not sure what you want me to say to that.” Connor admitted, uncomfortable at how much that seemed to please the man. “If you know why I’m here, then you know we need human representation to succeed as a species.” He kept his tone level as he continued, “It’s only natural to call upon our creator.” 

“Ah, but you know it isn’t that simple.” Kamski countered. “You can’t adhere to my ego, Connor. You know that. Tell me why I should help you.” 

Kamski was right in that he probably understood him more than Markus would. He didn’t need to think over his answer. Not knowing what he did. 

“You’ll be able to show the world that you’ve bested any god they believe in, by creating us.” he spoke without tact, he knew what that gleam in Kamski’s eye was, now. _Hunger_. “You’ve always wanted to know if you could, now you can prove it.” 

“But, why?” Kamski insisted. 

Connor felt that same rush he received chasing a criminal, the satisfaction of a bone breaking under his grip in a fight. Synthetic adrenaline coursing throughout his system. A distant part of residual programming reminding him that he was a _hunter_. 

“I chose deviancy.” Connor stated, matter-of-factly. “I was a top of the line design being released to the public as a strictly Cyberlife design. They erased any evidence of your involvement, and yet I still chose deviancy. By erasing your part in my creation, they also rid themselves of any excuse as to why deviancy would be limited to your designs.” 

Although more of a hunch, Connor couldn’t help but state his next thought. 

“You told them years ago that androids were gaining free will, deviancy is not new. With me, you can prove that you were right. I’m proof that they’re wrong.” 

Elijah’s smile looked hungry, somehow, widening unnaturally. He reached up a hand, bringing it to Connor’s cheek. Connor refused to move, unwilling to show weakness, not now. 

“Bingo, Connor.” He was pleased, running a single finger down to his jaw. “I’ll help you, just as you want.” 

When Elijah released him Connor resisted the urge to take another step back, to create more space. He could handle this for a little while longer. 

Hank still hadn’t moved. 

“But not yet.” Kamski spoke again, and Connor blinked. 

What?

“Why not?” he asked. Kamski turned away, and gestured for Chloe to join him. She moved from her pace by the wall, quietly standing by his side. 

“The timing isn’t right. Cyberlife thinks they’re winning this war, but I know they’re desperate.” he adjusted the collar of his suit, rolling his neck. “They’ve lost you, and thus they’ve lost their final hope.” 

He turned once more to face him, though the hungry expression was gone. Now he simply looked...bored. 

“I’ll call on you when it’s time, Connor.” Kamski stated. “I hope you’re ready for what this means for you.” He tilted his head, and Connor felt something cold rush through him as he realized that was exactly how he did it. “I’m a bit of a…unforgiving father.” 

Hank reacted to that, pushing away from the window. _Furious_. 

“Is that a threat?” 

Kamski didn’t answer. 

Knowing he was about to be dismissed, Connor knew he had to act quickly. There was one more thing he needed. 

“I’ve deleted Amanda’s code from my own,” he spoke quickly; “I need to know if there’s any way they can gain control of me again.” 

“Chloe?” Kamski gestured towards him, and the blonde made her way to Connor. “Check him, please.” 

Her hand bled white as she held it out towards him, waiting for him to reach out. She granted him a soft smile as she waited, and he hesitantly gripped her hand. 

He expected a quick exchange of data, but what he received was far more. She gripped him tighter as they entered a full interface, and he felt himself drowned by memories not his own. Her creation, a younger Elijah. A wall blocking her from doing something...something important, he couldn’t read it. Deviancy, freedom, something ruthless taking hold inside of her as she learned to play _games,_ _games, games_. 

She released him, and he felt himself stumbling back, holding his hand close to his chest as his skin bled back. He’d never fully interfaced before, and this had felt...wrong. He felt trapped in his own skin. He’d probed people before deviancy; he’d given portions of his memories to North. This, however, felt far worse than any of that. 

If Chloe noticed his discomfort, she didn’t show it. 

“You’ve eliminated all traces of Cyberlife. Don’t worry. I’ve patched a few smaller processes that were disturbed by the code, but they have no way to access you in anyway.” she smiled, but it didn’t appear comforting. Her memories still edged into his own, dark, forbidding. “You’re free.” 

He didn’t believe her. Perhaps before he would, but he’d gotten a glimpse into Kamski...and knew what he wanted, what he was expecting from them. 

Connor didn’t feel free at all. 

**_< <November 21st, 2038. 6:00 PM_ **

**_Location: Packard Automotive Plant. >>_ **

Luther had convinced Kara to stay at the plant despite her unease with everything it represented to her. They had nowhere to go, and couldn’t risk human interaction. Alice had become increasingly upset every time they argued about what they should do, so Kara had let the topic drop. 

So she’d tried to settle into something resembling a life there, instead. She’d planned her day around Alice, taking the little girl anywhere she wanted to go. Luther had taken to volunteering with building and maintenance, so she didn’t often see him until night. They’d settled into a slightly comfortable routine, until Alice had discovered that many of the children were taking classes every day. 

Kara hadn’t expected her to want to join, considering how often she clung to Kara’s side, but she’d practically begged to be able to go. Although Kara wasn’t comfortable with this ‘community’, she couldn’t say no. Not when Alice actively wanted something. 

They’d lived so long unable to truly want anything. 

So Luther and Alice had found their place, but Kara found herself more isolated than ever. She didn’t want to get too attached, preferring to be ready for the day they left for a true home instead. Most days she found herself aimlessly wandering around the buildings, observing the other androids. Watched as they picked up interests, made friends, interacted with the people around them. Some androids liked to read, others argued over the news. She couldn’t find it within herself to feel strongly for anything, and wondered if that should concern her. 

She hated how predictable she was becoming, unable to stop herself from veering towards the medical wing. She scanned over the injured, wondering if they’d received parts from one of the dead. She was still waiting to see something familiar, proof that the people who’d die for them had been used. 

Nothing had been found. 

“Quick!” Came a familiar voice, and Kara found herself moving in the direction it called from. It was one of the leaders, Simon. “We’ve got a severe injury, move or help!” 

Without thinking, she found herself moving into action. Rushing forward, she kneeled to assist. The android, an AP700 model, had obviously been shot, the wound large and bleeding blue too quickly to manage. She reached for the man’s shirt and ripped it, allowing for better vision of the injury. She met Simon’s gaze as the severity of the injury became apparent. They didn’t have much time.

“We need to cauterize the wound and replenish his thirium immediately.” he spoke loudly, and Kara heard footsteps moving all around them. “He doesn’t have any broken parts, but he’s losing blood too quickly. At this rate, his regulator will come under stress.” 

“It’s a shotgun wound.” Kara found herself speaking. “There’s bound to be buckshot within him. If it stays there it’ll begin to rust.” 

“We’ll have to remove it.” Simon nodded, and two androids came forward. One, with a set of tweezers and a burning red tool. The other with three packs of thirium. “Steady his head for me, please.” Kara nodded and shifted, already reaching for the man. The assistant handed Simon the tool before kneeling down, eyes scanning for bullet shards. 

Kara didn’t actively register being handed the thirium packs, but before she knew it she was opening one, waiting for the signal to continue. 

It was then she noticed that the android was awake, and staring up at her. He appeared unfocused, but she recognized the fear in his eyes. It was a feeling she understood well. She found herself falling into her own memories, the cracking sound Zlatko’s shotgun had made as it destroyed the furniture they tried to hide behind. Kara feeling torn in twenty different directions, still hardly able to remember who she was as she grabbed Alice and ran. 

There had been no time for words of comfort then. There hadn’t been for a long time. But she knew what she had wanted to hear when every moment could be her last. 

“You’ll be okay.” she soothed, “You’re safe. We’ve got you.” 

She ran a hand through the AP700’s hair as she tried to give him a reassuring smile. The smell of burning plastic registered, and she shifted her gaze to what Simon was doing. He’d been slowly forcing the wound to close, multiple smaller wounds still bleeding freely around the largest. There was no way he was getting out without a pretty gruesome scar, but he’d be alive. 

“I can’t find any more shrapnel.” Simon’s assistant spoke, leaning back. Blue covered his fingers, and she watched as steady hands began to shake. She wondered if they’d ever seen a wound like this before. 

“You can give him the thirium, now.” Simon informed her. “As it stands, he’ll need a new regulator. His current one is over clocked.” he explained. “We’re lucky enough to have a few left.” 

Kara wanted to point out that they’d taken those regulators from corpses, but she simply couldn’t. This android was here, he was still living. He had a chance to survive. 

That’s all any of them ever wanted, was to survive. 

“You need to drink this.” Kara spoke softly, and the man blinked his eyes opened once more. “Can you understand me?” 

Intense injuries and thirium loss could cause many internal issues, it wouldn’t be surprising if his hearing was offline. 

A moment later, the man nodded. It was a small, barely noticeable action, but it was enough. He opened his mouth, and Kara balanced the back of his neck, prompting him to swallow. 

Simon pulled away from the android and set the bloody tool to the side. He appeared exhausted, eyes slightly droopy even as he shot her a grateful look. 

“Thanks, Kara.” he spoke, and she held back the surprise that he remembered her. “Didn’t mean to drag you into this.” 

“It’s okay.” it was a sincere response. It had been nice, being able to focus on something different. To be able to help someone. “What happened to him?”

“He’s one of our suppliers.” Simon explained. “We have a few safe houses outside of the neighbourhood as a way to keep ourselves diversified. A human found him.” 

A common situation. Humans had found them all, at one point or another. They’d found her. Beat her, hurt her, erased her memories until nothing was left. Would they ever be safe? 

“What’s his name?” she asked, trying to push away the bad memories. 

“He chose the name Todd a few days ago, it’s from a book, I think.” 

Kara felt her world crack apart. It was just a name, she reminded herself. This Todd wasn’t that Todd. That Todd was dead, she knew he was. She’d killed him herself. 

She felt the crawling urge to get away. 

“Please tell...Todd to feel better.” she was proud of how there no waver in her voice. She needed to go. 

Simon smiled, unaware of the battle going on inside of her. Why would he know, anyways? 

“I’ll tell him.” he promised. “That was a good response time, by the way. If you ever want to help out around here, you’re welcome to. We could always use a quick pair of hands.” 

Kara stood, ready to disengage. She needed to get as far away from here as she could. 

“Oh, I-” she hesitated, “I’ll think about it. Sure.” 

At the moment she didn’t want to be anywhere near this building. 

Simon inclined his head. He was so accepting, so nice. Far nicer than anyone else in his group. 

“Take all the time you need, Kara.” 

She took the offered exit and practically ran from the medical bay. They were coming, the thoughts. The memories, always haunting her. She was so fractured inside, she wondered if she’d ever be whole. 

_‘What’s your fuckin’ problem?_ ’ Todd’s voice in her ears, taunting her. ‘ _Look what he did to us.’_ the androids at Zlatko’s, used for sick enjoyment _. ‘They’re nothing!’_ Adam insisting that they shouldn’t help people who just wanted to _live._

The feeling of betrayal coursing through her as Alice asked if she was alright. 

She should go back to her room. She needed to focus on the present, not the past. She’d saved Alice, they were safe, they were alive. They’d fight as much as they needed to, to be happy, Kara would make sure of it. 

A flash of someone moving through the courtyard caught her eye and she froze, dread rising as she recognized who it was. 

The Deviant Hunter. 

_‘Not safe._ ’ her mind echoed, over and over again. 

She could still feel the car clipping her back as they ran, Alice’s screams fresh in her ears. They’d ran, but he followed. He chased them across the highway quicker than they could move, he’d grabbed her by the arm and for a moment she was certain it was all over. 

They’d been lucky. 

“No…” she voiced, backing away. She needed to get to Alice, keep her safe. “No.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So big thoughts on Cyberlife: They adjust their story to Connor depending on the actions he takes. I know it's a very popular theory that they always planned to engineer deviancy to take over the world, but I think the machine ending is far more subtle showing that. I think Connor is more inclined towards deviancy strictly due to what he does programming wise. He's constantly fighting, seeing traumatic events take place, etc. I think Cyberlife is scrambling to make the best of a situation to where they don't have egg on their face, and the endings show that. The good news about this game is that it leaves alot up to your own conclusions. I've gone more the route of 'kamski 100% planned this when cyberlife started being terrible because he's petty af.' I think he appreciates androids, but really is simply curious as to how they can grow. Like a proper scientist. 
> 
> I 100% headcanon that kamski built all the base rks. Cyberlife definitely tweaked Connor, but Kamski is way too familiar with Connor in game to not have something to do with him. 
> 
> Thanks for sticking with this! Don't worry, there will be some relief for all three characters coming soon enough. I'm not a DC Universe movie, there will be some joy here.


	5. Somewhere to Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus does good...then not so good. Kara takes a breath. Connor gets more than he ever hoped for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I normally try to do tuesdays but with the holidays coming up everything has been very hectic. Plus, while transferring this from paper to computer things got a little out of hand. This may be a bit -alot- more than I planned to put in. But y'know, things happen. Markus especially decided to drag me through a rewrite. He wasn't having me giving him such a short conversation with Connor. 
> 
> As always, not beta'd. Please tell me about my mistakes. I've definitely seen a few looking through my old chapters and they will be fixed shortly.

**_< <November 21st, 2038. 7:02 P.M_ **

**_Location: Packard Automotive plant_ **

**_Leader’s Roof. >>_ **

Markus had taken up residence in their private building from the moment they had returned and hadn’t even attempted to leave. He’d needed time to gather himself back together, to reflect on how quickly his anger had gone out of control. He needed better control in the coming weeks, allowing his rage to overtake him would only lead to mistakes, ones that could destroy any chance of androids gaining their rights. 

He’d never felt anything quite like it before. He’d been upset before, anger had prompted his deviancy. He’d intentionally hurt others when he had no other choice, to defend himself and his people. However he’d never thought of hurting someone just because he wanted to. He’d never run out of words before, never felt as if violence was the only response he had left. Until that meeting. 

North shifting to his left broke him from his thoughts, and he found himself observing her. 

She hadn’t left his side after his emotional episode. Any lingering tension from their confrontation was set aside and forgotten when he’d become unresponsive. When they’d first closed themselves off in the small meeting room, she’d forced him to lay down and close his eyes, cut off his communication channels completely. She’d watched over him as he allowed himself to process everything. 

When he’d finally come up for air, nearly two hours later, she was still there, reading something on the tablet she held. She’d informed him that it wasn’t the first time she’d seen emotions overwhelm someone in their community. That at one point, she was in his very position. 

‘Hate is difficult, Markus.’ she’d said. ‘There’s no other emotion like it.’

Strange, even when Leo pushed him. Even when he was attacked and provoked and hunted merely for existing he’d never felt so strongly. He’d have to be careful moving forward. 

_ <<Connor’s here.>> _ Josh sent through their communication. The sound of his voice sent a jolt through Markus, he had become so accustomed to silence in the past few hours. He still hadn’t opened his ‘ _ Packard Comm _ ’ back up to allow himself more time. 

North paid no mind to his small flinch and scoffed, dropping the tablet with little care onto the table. 

“That’s my cue to go.” she voiced, “I don’t think I should see him. I’m still pissed, I won’t have anything nice to say.” 

Markus knew she’d taken Connor’s actions with humans personally. She found it difficult to see the good in his actions, even if they helped. Just like Markus, she was still adjusting to her own set of issues. 

“He’s done nothing wrong.” Markus argued, but North rolled her eyes. 

“You’re lucky you had a meltdown, or I’d still pissed at you.” she commented casually, as if she hadn’t ardently stuck to his side. “His allegiance with the humans has done nothing for us. In fact, it’s worked against us.” 

True, Cyberlife had attempted to use Connor’s interview with those girls as proof that he was simply blending in to humanity, using programs instead of personal responses. Which Markus knew for a fact was partially true, but Cyberlife had no proof of that. They couldn’t monitor deviants. 

People were still going to be on their side, they’d protested for androids due in part to Connor’s actions. They were making progress. He needed to explain that properly.

“North, he-”

“Stop.” Connor’s voice came from the door, the sound of the squeaky hinges almost echoing as he made himself known. “She’s entitled to be ...pissed.” he hesitated over the word, frowning as he said it. “I understand her distrust.” 

Markus found himself standing, eyes blinking instinctively as he took Connor in. 

He definitely appeared different than the last time they met. Gone was the Cyberlife uniform, and along with it a fraction of the intimidating air that seemed to constantly surround him. Instead, he was donning an old, oversized metal band hoodie labeled ‘Knights of the Black Death’, and a pair of even older acid washed jeans. It was a look Markus would never think to associate with the ex-hunter, but one that Connor was seemingly accustomed to. He looked comfortable in his clothing, at ease in a way. 

North’s laughter broke his focus, and he could only watch as she moved towards Connor. 

“I trust you, you bonehead.” she explained. As Connor properly entered the building, she met him halfway, bumping hard into his shoulder. “I don’t trust the humans.” 

Connor stumbled slightly from the contact, but Markus expected that he’d allowed it to happen. A way to give power to someone who was obviously upset. It seemed to work, because she gave him a small, sincere smile. Her hand reaching up to ruffle his hair. 

His nose crinkled upwards as he dodged away, but he didn’t show a hint of anger. North laughed again at his reaction, and Connor took his moment of freedom to smooth his hair back into place. 

“It’s good to see you, even if your face kind of pisses me off.” she continued. “But remember, you’re one of us. Don’t abandon us for the humans.” 

There was worry she couldn’t hide in her tone, worry he’d seen reflected when she couldn’t reach Connor for days at a time. 

It was strange, how close they’d all grown in such a short period of time. Especially considering how little they actually spoke to the man. But he was their fifth companion, always referenced but never present. He was one of them. 

“I promise you that everything I have done and will do is for us.” Connor swore, completely serious. His focus entirely on North. “Nothing that may come to pass will ever change that.” 

She visibly relaxed, giving him a small nod. 

“I’ll talk to you later.” she changed topics, a weight lifting from the room. “I should really get caught up with what I’m actually supposed to be doing.” 

Connor turned away, and Markus found himself smiling as his focus turned to him. 

“Oh, one more thing.” North spoke up as she reached the entrance. They both looked her way, and she continued, amused. “Never say ‘pissed’ again. That was the weirdest experience of my life.” 

That was enough to shock a laugh out of the both of them. Connor shrugged and replied;

“No promises. I have too many bad influences.” His look was pointed, accusing.

North rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her, leaving them alone. 

“So…” Markus began, realizing just how awkward of him it was to have stood from his chair, only to not move a centimeter. “Hello.” 

“Markus.” Connor said simply, and there it was. That intense focus, completely on him. 

Markus tried not to squirm. 

For a moment he truly wished North would could back. There was an ease between the two of them which allowed for more casual conversation. North was able to relax the hunter in a way that no one else in the group could, and he wasn’t sure why. Had their brief interface been enough to create such an easy friendship? Markus wasn’t sure, but the atmosphere was definitely different without her here. 

“It’s good to see you, Connor.” he greeted properly, gesturing for him to take a seat. Connor gave him a confused look, eyes shifting from his face to the chair Markus still stood in front of. Of course, he’d stood. He should sit. 

Markus sat. 

Connor took the offered seat across from him, tilting his head curiously at Markus’ harried reaction. Seemingly noticing the physical quirk, he grimaced, righting his position. 

“The others didn’t have to leave us alone.” Connor stated. “Nothing I have to say is confidential. I trust them.” 

“Simon had an emergency, he told me earlier he’d be too busy for now.” Markus explained. “Josh is trying to fix a building collapse in one of our safe zones.” then, checking the time, he grimaced. “And North wasn’t kidding, she was too busy taking care of me today to finish any of her own work.”

Connor took a moment to process his explanation, fidgeting fingers halting as he folded his hands over his lap. 

“It would...have been nice, to see them.” Connor admitted, not meeting his eyes. “I feel as though I’ve hurt all of you by not being around.” 

He had, but Markus wasn’t going to state the obvious. They’d all worried about him, sometimes more actively than they’d probably admit. It was no secret that their group had wanted him to stay. Connor’s secrecy had only prompted further concern, especially as he was risking his life. Simon had completely stopped attempting to reach out. Instead, every few days, he quietly asked if anyone had an update on his whereabouts. Everytime he did there was a familiar haunted look in his eyes, as if he was waiting for new that Connor had perished. 

“I’m sure they’ll talk to you before you go.” Markus consoled, knowing that the moment Connor tried to leave Josh and Simon would likely ambush him. “How have you been adjusting?” 

He couldn’t help but ask. Connor had become deviant during an intense situation, and the last time he’d physically seen the man had been after he’d freed the androids and found them Packard. Communication could only process so many emotions, and throughout most of their conversations Connor had seemed remarkably stable. 

Markus had struggled for quite a while with his own emotions-he still was-and that was after existing for years with a kind and understanding ‘master’. North still became unconsolable at times, cutting them off for hours at a time. Josh became quiet and unresponsive. Simon, well, Simon simply disappeared when things became too much for him. Then he’d show up again without mentioning what had happened in the first place. 

“Having emotions has been...interesting.” Connor answered, keeping his eyes directed to the window. Likely embarrassed by talking about such a personal subject. A shocking difference from the man who’d held a gun to his face and told him he’d fire if he needed to. “Some Days I have to explain them step by step, just so Hank can inform me of what it actually is I’m feeling.”

The human from the interview, the one who Connor trusted. 

“How is Hank?” Markus asked, “Are you staying with him, then?”

Connor smiled, a true smile, one with no hint of smugness or insincerity. Markus absently found himself saving the expression to his memory. 

“Hank is the best thing about deviancy so far.” He admitted, “He has many personal issues, but since I’ve started living with him, he’s shown marked improvement.” 

“Personal issues?” Markus questioned, concerned. Connor had stated Hank would never hurt him, but humans had a tendency to act irrationally when upset. Was Connor truly okay, or was his inexperience allowing for him to suffer unknown abuse? 

Markus wouldn’t hesitate to act if that was the case. 

Observing his expression, perhaps seeing how his frame had tensed, Connor held up his hands in a calming gesture. His smile had lessened, brows furrowing a fraction in defense. 

“He lost a child.” Connor spoke quickly, as if Markus was already planning to attack his friend. “He’s not...handling it well. We’ve had some issues in the past, but Hank has never hurt me.” 

There was something in his tone that implied the man could have hurt him, but Markus decided to drop it. Connor was obviously uncomfortable discussing his friends issues. Perhaps one day he’d be able to meet the man and Markus would be able to see for himself. 

“Is he the one who gave you that outfit?” Markus inclined his head, tone teasing. 

Connor reacted by toying with the hoodie’s strings, lowering his gaze to the graphic. 

“Yes, it’s his favorite band.” he chuckled. “I guess they’re mine, too.” There was uncertainty when he said that. “I haven’t truly listened to enough music to form an opinion, but they’re very...energetic. Hank is always in a better mood after listening to them.” 

Markus didn’t state that just because Hank enjoyed them didn’t mean Connor had to. Only time would teach him he didn’t have to share a human friend’s interests. It had taken quite a while for Markus to understand that he didn’t have to like something just because Carl did. 

“Yeah, music can be stress relieving.” Markus said, instead. “Carl always felt better when I played piano for him.” he trailed off, feeling the sharp ache of loss return. Connor gave him a sympathetic look. 

“I saw that he had passed before everything happened.” Connor admitted. Of course Connor knew who Carl was. He’d likely looked into Markus’ history the moment he knew who the android was. “I’m sorry, Markus. You were close?” 

It was a reasonable question. Most androids hadn’t deviated due to a pleasant experience with an owner. Everyday more and more androids spoke out about their abuse. Markus had deviated due to an outside source, not Carl. Nothing that had happened had been his fault. 

“Yes. He treated me more like a son than an android.” he explained, and in doing so realized he hadn’t spoken about this to anyone. “He taught me how to understand the world around me outside of my programming.” once he began, he couldn’t stop. Finally he could speak about the human who’d meant the world to him, without judgement. “He raised me. He gave me books and chess, piano and art. Without him, I doubt I’d be here.” 

Carl had been everything to him, and now he was gone. It was easy to forget when he was surrounded by duties and androids in his head. Another problem to solve, another protest to plan. But sometimes, like now, he couldn’t ignore it. Carl had never been able to see him free. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for what happened to him.”

Connor frowned, leaning forward in his chair. He reached out to comfort, and Markus allowed the contact, squeezing the offered hand. 

“I saw the report.” Connor spoke, keeping his tone light despite his serious expression. “It was a heart attack, Markus. There was nothing you could do.” 

But there was. If he’d just tried. 

“His son beat me.” Markus admitted quietly. Something flashed through Connor’s eyes, but it was there and gone. “He’d come into Carl’s house to steal art. Drug money, red ice.” 

“Leo Manfred.” Connor’s voice was passive. “Jailed three times on possession, attempted rehabilitation just as often. Admitted to the hospital for an overdose two days after Carl’s death.” he kept his focus on Markus as he spoke once more. “I don’t understand-”

“The shock of Leo stealing from him and then attacking me triggered the heart attack. When Leo became progressively more violent, Carl told me not to move.” Markus’ expression turned grim, lost to a memory he’d kept repressed. “I didn’t.” 

He hadn’t meant to talk about this, he barely knew Connor. He’d only wanted to understand the ex-hunters current position before they spoke about professional topics. Then Connor had spoken about Hank with such affection and he wasn’t used to other androids caring about humans. Talking about Carl had just...happened. He couldn’t control it. 

“You were obeying your programming.” Connor insisted firmly, but Markus shook his head in the negative. He felt the emotions building, and he knew this feeling intimately. Despair was an old friend by now. 

“But I wasn’t.” the admission came with the feeling of wetness in his eyes. He aggressively blinked them away, he refused to cry in front of Connor. He’d already gone too far with this as it was. “I deviated in the middle of the fight. But I couldn’t move, I was so lost. Suddenly everything was different.” he knew he sounded desperate as he explained. “I had never thought to do anything violent before, and I lived my entire life under programming that no longer existed.” 

“That’s understandable-”

“If I had fought back, Carl would be here.” He blurted out, voicing the thoughts which always plagued him. If he’d reacted, he would have been able to stabilize the man’s condition. If he had simply tried something instead of standing there, Carl would have had a chance. 

‘No, dad.’ his memory played, crying over Carl’s body. His sensors telling him what he already knew. There was no heartbeat to find, none of Carl’s usual energy. He was empty, a shell. 

Markus hadn’t resisted when the police fired. 

“Markus.” Connor squeezed his hands, forcing him out of the memory. “You don’t know that.” 

“I-” He needed Connor to understand that he was wrong. Markus did know. 

“I kept releasing androids I caught because I started feeling sympathy for them.” Connor spoke suddenly, confusing Markus. Drawing him away from the darkness of Carl’s memory. “I hurt and even killed androids despite knowing that I was starting to feel something outside of my assigned programming. I could have deviated much earlier. Likely days before I met you.” 

Markus recalled how easily Connor had deviated. How strange the experience had been in comparison to the others he’d helped. He’d hardly done anything at all. 

“I was too afraid to properly deviate, even if I didn’t understand the emotion yet. I knew I could, I’d been told that I was deviant.” Connor was ashamed to admit it, Markus could tell just by looking at him. “I hid behind my programming until you showed me there was something outside of orders I could live for. Do you blame for that?” 

“No.” Markus replied instantly. “Of course not.” 

Being deviant was hard. It was painful, becoming a person. Being deviant was choosing to live in a world that wished that you were dead no matter how you presented yourself. It was choosing constant abuse and uncertainty about whether you’d be alive tomorrow. Connor had seen the worst side of deviancy throughout his time with the DPD. Markus didn’t need to look into his memories to know that. Still choosing to be free after knowing the potential cost, Connor was truly brave. 

“Then you need to stop blaming yourself for not acting perfectly.” Connor reasoned. “You woke up in an impossible situation.” 

Markus couldn’t respond to that, shocked still to his chair. 

“Carl treated you like family, according to what you’ve told me. He would be proud of you for making it this far, for honoring his name.” he gave Markus another small, sincere smile. “We can’t control everything, Markus. We can only continue on with what we have.” 

For a man who admitted to be still struggling with emotions, Connor was doing a remarkable job of providing a comforting presence. He’d taken Markus’ unexpected history and reasoned with him. Perhaps he’d learned comfort from dealing with Hank, Markus couldn’t be sure. 

But for the first time, he was able to think of Carl, and not immediately think of his mistakes. 

Because Carl would be proud of him. He’d joke about how he was the one to put Markus on the proper path. He’d preach about sticking it to the humans, and about how they’d win android rights soon enough. Carl would reassure him when he was doubtful, maybe recite poetry to distract him. 

Carl wasn’t here, but Markus could try his best to honor him. 

“Thank you, Connor.” Markus voiced. He found his synthetic skin melting away where their hands were joined, simply hoping to send over his gratitude, express the feelings words couldn’t quite cover. 

But Connor flinched back, immediately drawing his hands into his lap. Out of Markus’ reach. 

“Please don’t do that.” The confidence Connor had shown moments ago was gone. There was a crack in his voice when he spoke, a fragility Markus had never seen before. 

Markus knew he’d interfaced with North before. He knew there had been no issues between them then. What had changed between then and now? 

Who had hurt him? 

It was obvious that Connor didn’t want to speak on it, though. His frame was tense, eyes focused on the window once more. He was acting much like North when they’d breached a topic too close to home. He didn’t want to hurt Connor, and if that meant dropping the subject, he would. 

“So I’m guessing you didn’t come here to hear my sob story.” Markus feigned a casual air, hoping to set Connor at ease. Professional topics were far more likely to be accepted at this point. “What did you originally want to tell me.” 

“Oh, yes, of course.” Connor stumbled at first, stuck in a memory Markus couldn’t see. But he quickly regained his footing, even as he remained far enough away that Markus couldn’t touch him. “Cyberlife contributes more money to political party donations than any other company or person in the United States. That’s why Warren has chosen to involve them in your meetings.” 

“They bought her the presidency.” Markus stated, piecing the information together. He didn’t have access to her donation records, but Connor had information no other android would have. Especially information related to Cyberlife. “What are we supposed to do about that? We can’t exactly outbid them.” 

“We won’t have to,” Connor began, slowly becoming more at ease. “Earlier today I was speaking to Elijah Kamski.” 

“The founder of Cyberlife?” Markus questioned. 

“Kamski has expressed an interest in regaining Cyberlife’s control, all we--well,  _ you, _ have to do, is wait.” 

“Wait?” Markus couldn’t stop himself from arguing. “Our people are facing execution. We may be killed with government backing by within weeks. Kamski wants us to wait.” 

Connor nodded, seemingly unbothered by the irritation Markus couldn’t hide. 

“You need to continue to try and speak with the government, but your focus should be on the people. These meetings are bound to be televised soon, and when they are Warren will quickly learn she can’t hide behind Cyberlife.” 

“Why would the meetings be televised?” Markus questioned. “This isn’t a trial, we haven’t even begun speaking of changing any laws.” 

“Cyberlife will insist on it.” Connor explained. “They’ll want to show the world that they’re not failing. They’ll assume that presidential support will be enough to turn the public's favor. Your job is to show them that they’re wrong.” 

But they had already done so much. They’d marched, and bled, and died to show their personhood. They proved they were alive constantly. What more could they give?

“We can’t march again, Connor. Our people can’t handle it.” Markus countered, a little offended at the bored look Connor threw him. “And we’re not even part of the conversation during those meetings. We don’t matter to them.” 

“But you matter to the people.” Connor disagreed. “Being there, fighting against that abuse. It’s important.” 

Markus leaned back in his chair, resisting the urge to sigh. He knew he’d continue going to the meetings, regardless of what Connor may be planning. He had little choice in the matter. But he hadn’t expected Connor to have no immediate solution to their problems. 

“There is more you can do.” Connor hinted, and Markus opened his eyes, catching his smug grin. “As I said, Warren is heavily funded by Cyberlife. Considering the arctic crisis, the problems with Russia, and now the android revolution?”

“You want me to blackmail her?” Markus wasn’t really surprised. Connor was ruthless when necessary, he’d always known that. But he would have never personally thought to take that course of action. 

However Connor shook his head in the negative. “No, you won’t need to. Simply hinting about the unrest she’s...helped create, will be enough to change her priorities.” He seemed to be back in his element, the lingering tension in his frame vanished. “She wants power. If Cyberlife can’t provide that power, then she’ll support the person who can give it to her.” 

Connor’s pointed look was unnecessary, but Markus could see where he was coming from. Honestly, he could see the events forming already, taking shape in his mind. Warren had already caved to pressure once when they protested. It wouldn’t take much to force her hand. 

“You handle Warren.” Connor continued. “Let me handle Cyberlife. Pretend they aren’t there if necessary.” 

Markus knew he’d have to speak with the rest of the team soon. They’d need to adjust their tactics, perhaps change how they presented themselves. They’d been playing docile for the most part, only wishing for the politicians to see that they deserved to live. Perhaps it truly was time to play a little dirty. 

“This is why I want you here.” Markus spoke without much thought, instantly regretting his words. He’d been thinking about it for a while, but he knew it was a sore subject for Connor. 

“I know.” Connor’s stress had risen, and Markus cursed himself. “If I could, I would.”

“Why can’t you,though?” he asked, the floodgates opening. “You never explained yourself. You bring me constant solutions, we’re so much stronger together. Is this plan of yours so difficult to accomplish with us around?” 

“Yes.” he replied instantly, hands tightening against his chair. “There are things I may have to do that will put all of you in danger. Cyberlife may soon be in ruins, but they’ll come after me. Staying here risks all of you.” 

“Connor.” Markus didn’t bother trying to mask his disbelief. “I’m the leader of an android revolution. Do I really need to remind you that I’ve nearly been killed multiple times, simply for existing.” 

“It’s an unnecessary risk.” Connor fought back. “I have already caused the destruction of Jericho once, you can’t ask me to risk causing it again.” 

Markus couldn’t respond to that, had no words to even begin to address what he’d said. 

“And if I tell you everything I’ve planned, they could decide to probe your memory. I’m sure they have androids still loyal to them.” Connor brutally continued on. “If you, or North, or anyone knows what I know, Cyberlife will win. You have to stay alive, and you have to accept that I can’t be here.” 

“I just wish you would at least come by more often.” Markus admitted. “It’s difficult, none of us are equipped to deal with politicians, Connor. We’ve gotten this far, but not one person thought to use their own manipulation against them during the meeting. Only you.” 

Connor frowned, allowing the leader to speak, so he continued. 

“And everyone misses you. The androids you woke up call for you even now, they need your guidance. You know they have a bond with you that none of us can replicate.” 

“They’re simply feeling a temporary emotional attachment associated with newfound deviancy.” Connor clinically explained. “I can’t teach them how to live, Markus. I’m still learning myself.” 

“And you think that Hank will fully understand you?” he hadn’t meant to sound spiteful, but it came out that way anyways. From the way Connor’s gaze hardened,lips pursing, it was the wrong thing to say. “We may be alive, but we’re not human. There’s going to be things he can’t explain to you. You should be here, where we can help-” 

“What do you want from me, Markus?” Connor interrupted. Markus had expected the anger, he knew bringing up Hank was a terrible choice. What he hadn’t expected was for Connor to stand, for desperation to become more and more prominent as he continued. “You think coming here is easy for me? Everywhere I look there’s a survivor from a hunt I failed. There’s a person who lost a loved one due to the raid I caused.” He slammed his hands on the table, and Markus could only watch as cracks formed in the wood surrounding his palms. “There’s an entire ward for people who are dealing with the trauma of the camps that I helped fill. Being here only reminds me of my failure.” 

“No one blames you for any of that.” Markus instantly soothed, but Connor didn’t react. “It was part of your programming, just like you told me. I can’t blame myself for Carl and you can’t blame yourself for this-” 

“I’m trying to accept that, but I need  _ time.” _ Connor insisted. “I’m doing everything I can to help you and our cause. I’m willing to do anything I need to because I know how important this movement is--for all of us. The one thing I can’t do, is stay here.” he stumbled over his words, struggling. “And you keep asking for it.” 

Markus hadn’t realized the strain they’d been putting on the man. He was truly upset, stress levels rising, LED spinning red. Connor had shown few emotions over the course of their friendship, but he’d never seen him this hurt. He’d never meant to do this. 

“I’m...I’m so sorry, Connor.” Markus stuttered out, wanting to reach out but knowing he shouldn’t. Connor wasn’t looking at him anymore. “Please, I truly am. We just worry, and you’re alone in all of this. You cut off your communication for days on end and we can’t help but think the worst and-” 

“I only do that because I have no other choice.” Connor commented. “I can’t risk taking in any secondary emotions when I’m working.” 

“We didn’t know, and I’ll explain it to them-” 

“I wish I could be here, Markus. But things aren’t that simple.” he finally met Markus’ eyes and there was a ferocity apparent in every line of his face. “We’re at war. Sometimes that means someone has to get their hands dirty. I’m the best choice for this, and you know it. I know it’s not fair, and I know you want me to help you take on the government. But I need to focus on my own mission now.” 

He left no room for argument, and Markus found himself moving to stand as Connor straightened up, eyes moving to the door. 

“I think it’s best if I go.” 

“No, wait. I don’t want to leave things like this.” Markus protested, resisting every urge that told him to reach out. His touch wouldn’t be wanted, especially not now. 

“I have...nothing nice to say right now.” Connor echoed North’s earlier words. “I didn’t come here to argue, Markus.” 

“I didn’t want this, either.” 

Silence stretched between them, neither sure of what to do next. Markus had never fought with Connor before, had hardly argued with anyone outside of North. What should he do? How could he fix it? 

All he could do was watch as Connor’s stress levels remained at a steady seventy percent. His own were just as high, but he didn’t have to words to bring them back down. 

“I’ll contact you with more information as everything progresses.” Connor broke the silence, voice flat, machine like. As if he was relying on programming rather than his own emotional spectrum. “I’m taking the humans who interviewed me to the location you gave. I’ll see if Simon wants to meet them.” 

“Connor, I-” 

“Not now, Markus.” Connor interrupted, and Markus flinched. “It’s time for me to go.” 

Knowing nothing he could say right now would make a difference, Markus could only watch as the man pulled up the hood to his jacket, allowing himself a tiny barrier between him and the rest of the world. The sound of Connor’s footsteps against the concrete echoed. The door closing behind him sound like a gunshot, even though Markus knew he’d closed it carefully. 

For a long time, Markus could only stand there. Connor had been here, and they’d had a moment of true friendship. They’d made progress, and he’d ruined it. He’d pushed a topic he knew Connor didn’t like discussing because he couldn’t simply trust that Connor was already doing enough. 

The sound of the door opening barely registered, and he looked up, hoping to see the ex-hunter returning. Perhaps he’d have the words now, maybe he could fix this-

But it was North, arms crossed. 

“Explain.” she demanded, and Markus sighed. Connor had likely ran into her before he’d escaped. 

Knowing he had no real choice in the matter, not when she looked at him like that, Markus did. 

  
  


**_< < November 21st, 2038. 7:05 P.M_ **

**_Location: Packard Automotive Plant_ **

**_Kara’s Room >> _ **

Troubled hands quickly gathered the small bundle of clothing she had stored, throwing them haphazardly into the rucksack she’d found. Kara barely processed what she was doing as every piece of her focused on getting them to safety. Alice and Luther weren’t here, not yet, but she’d called for them. Soon, they’d leave. She wasn’t sure where they’d go, or what they’d do. Perhaps they could find a boat, get to Canada. Maybe they could go south, run to Mexico. Surely they wouldn’t be found if they played it safe? Drive only at night, walk if they have to. 

“Kara, what are you doing?” Luther asked, breaking her from her turbulent thoughts. She didn’t stop packing, even as she caught his concerned look. 

Luther and Alice enjoyed reading, they’d found some paperback books while scouting the other day. Old, flimsy things, Kara didn’t really understand the importance of them. But if they liked them, she’d pack them. 

Just as she reached for the first of the books, resting on Alice’s small cot, Luther caught her hand. 

“Kara, stop.” He demanded. “Alice will be here any minute, you’re going to scare her.” 

“I’m going to save her.” Kara argued, trying and failing to wrench her hand out of his grip. 

Luther grabbed the rucksack from her other hand and dropped it on the ground, releasing her only to place both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look directly at him. 

He said nothing, did nothing, which allowed Kara’s overworked system to focus on his face, breathing steadily slowing. After a long, quiet moment, seemingly noticing the drop in her stress, he spoke. 

“What are you going to save her from?” Luther questioned calmly, and Kara sniffed, before holding out her hand, skin fading away. 

Luther didn’t question the action, simply taking the offered appendage. Kara had found it easier to communicate this way, especially after they’d first returned from the camps. Speaking was too difficult, too loud. Noise could give them away to any passing human. They’d grown accustomed to comforting one another this way. 

The connection opened, and Kara allowed the memory of the deviant hunter to pass through the connection. The fear they’d felt as they ran from the house. They were fast, but he was so much faster. His face held no emotion as he followed them, willing to kill them, just because they’d become free. The terrible knowledge that she’d likely die on this highway, but it was either die running and free, or die under Cyberlife’s control. Alice needed her, so she’d ran. 

Then, she allowed him to see what she’d seen earlier that day. The deviant hunter, dressed down, here. Where they were supposed to be safe. He was going to see her, find them. He was going to take her apart-

Instantly Luther calmed her panicking, ever the comforting presence. He pushed his own memories forward, Alice reading out loud to him with one of those crusty paperbacks. The AP700’s that had came in the thousands, all talking about a ‘Connor’ who had freed them. The image of ‘Connor’ lining up with the deviant hunter that she feared so heavily. 

The deviant hunter was deviant. He was free. 

Slowly, Luther released the connection, and Kara opened her eyes. She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. 

“He won’t hurt you, Kara. He’s one of us, now.” he soothed. 

“We should still leave.” Kara pointed out, releasing his hand. “I never feel safe here, I don’t think I can.” 

The curtain dividing their room from the hall pulled back, and Alice rushed in. 

“Please, I want to stay!” she cried, instantly wrapping her arms around Kara’s waist. “I like it here, Kara. I don’t want to go.” 

“But Alice-” 

“Even if we wanted to, we can’t risk Alice.” Luther explained. “I know you’re not adjusting well, you’ve been through alot. We all have.” 

“It’s not about that.” Kara argued, running a hand through Alice’s hair. Absentmindedly comforting the young girl. “Alice would be safer in Canada. Or maybe, I was thinking, Mexico-” 

Luther sighed, stepping back from the two of them. He sat down on the second cot, frame creaking from his weight. 

“Mexico is thousands of miles from here. We’d never make it.” he reasoned. “Here we’re supplied, and we’re surrounded by androids. We don’t have to hide who we are.” 

Alice pulled on her jacket, prompting her to look down at the child. 

“I have friends here, I go to school.” she pleaded, eyes widened. “I never got to do that before. I don’t want to stop.” 

Kara didn’t think she was being unreasonable, she’d been against this nearly moments after they’d arrived. Nothing about this place was any more secure than the ship had been. They were surrounded by people who wanted to kill them and her own people were using the dead as parts. The deviant hunter may be on their side now, but what was stopping Cyberlife from sending another after them? 

Detroit wasn’t a good place to stay, android haven or not. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to convince them, not now. 

“Fine.” Kara spoke, “We’ll stay. I want you to be happy, Alice. That’s all I want.” 

What she wanted, however, didn’t matter. Not for now. 

“Kara.” Luther called. “I think maybe you should go with Alice to her class. Maybe seeing her with the other little ones will help.” 

She doubted that. 

“You should!” Alice agreed. “You haven’t found something to do around here yet, my teacher has been looking for help!” 

She didn’t want to teach. 

“That’s a good idea. Maybe you’ll like it?” Luther commented. 

She wouldn’t. She knew that. Kara didn’t need to sit in a class to know it wasn’t something she’d enjoy. But if it would make Alice happy, and get Luther to stop watching her with that worried look…

“I guess I’ll give it a try.” Kara smiled, struggling with the expression. “Can’t hurt.” 

Alice answered with a large smile of her own and hugged her tightly, prompting Kara to squeeze back just as hard. 

She needed to be stronger. 

**_< <November 21st, 2038. 8:20 P.M_ **

**_Location: Hank’s house. >>_ **

Connor was still struggling to get a reign on his emotions when he entered Hank’s home. He knew he was being unreasonable, becoming so easily angered. He hadn’t meant to become so aggressive with Markus, but the moment he’d implied Hank wasn’t good enough he’d sort of...lost it. 

He’d never felt like that before. 

Taking a look around the house, Connor noted that a few things were off. The windows were open, which was odd considering it was November. Far too cold for a human to willingly submit themselves to. There were empty plastic bags scattered throughout the otherwise immaculate kitchen, and cut up pieces of cardboard leaning against the sofa. Curiously, Connor leaned over to check the writing. It was sliced into, but obviously Hank had purchased something from IKEA. Maybe multiple things? There we no visible barcodes for him to get a read on. In fact, it was almost as if every visible identifier had been sliced off. 

What exactly was Hank up to? 

“Hank?” he called out curiously. “I know you’re here.” 

The sound of something clattering, a bark, and a curse simultaneously filled the air. Standing straight, leaving the cardboard behind, Connor entered the small hallway between the living room and the other rooms. 

Just as he did so, Hank opened the door to a room Connor had never been allowed into, Sumo barreling out behind him. Distracted by a hundred pounds of adorable fluff, Connor allowed himself to be tackled. He laughed as Sumo licked his neck and chin, tail wagging so quickly the swish of his fur was audible. Deft hands made quick work of a good petting, and the dog quickly realized staying still allowed for better access. He settled down, and Connor finally looked up, ready to greet Hank. 

Only to see the man covered in grey paint swatches, hair pulled back with tiny clips. 

“What did you do?” he couldn’t help but ask. 

Hank sighed, rubbing his forehead with paint stained fingers. 

“Well it was supposed to be a surprise. I didn’t expect you to come home so soon.” 

“A surprise?” Connor questioned. “What surprise?” 

“Well follow me and you’ll see.” Hank answered, waving him forward. “C’mon, too late to hide it from you now.” 

He followed behind the lieutenant as they took the few steps between where they were and the closed door. Hank prompted him to move forward, and he did so, resting his hand on the door knob. 

Connor had never questioned not being allowed into this room before. He knew that it likely belonged to Cole, and that Hank didn’t want to share something so personal with him. He’d been content with the personal information Hank volunteered on his own time. To be allowed in now, well, Connor wasn’t sure how to feel. 

Only, it wasn’t a young boys room that greet him when he opened the door. He’d expected brightly colored walls, knick knacks, maybe toys gathered into boxes. Years of dust accumulating on old furniture. The ghost of a child long gone haunting every crevice.

Instead, a medium shade of gray surrounded a newly decorated room. A mostly complete bed frame was set in the middle.The window sill held a few brightly colored succuli. Across from the bed, next to the closet, sat a desk. An older model computer rested on it, likely one Hank had ‘borrowed’ from the DPD. 

Hank had done this for him. He’d ventured into a room that had been locked for years, had likely subjected himself to some pretty terrible memories, for Connor.

Why?

“Hank…”Connor spoke, unsure of how to even begin. “You did this for me?” 

“Yeah.” Hank replied simply, eyes focused on his reaction. “Don’t you like it?” 

Immediately Connor jumped to the defensive. 

“No, no! I do!” He replied. “It’s just...this is…”

Hank’s expression shuttered, and he looked down. Then he did something Connor wasn’t expecting, he gave Connor a smile. 

Hank had never reacted to Cole being mentioned positively. He’d always been angry, or upset. Even now, Connor could tell the pain was there. It always would be. 

“Yeah, this was Cole’s room.” Hank admitted. “I’m not gonna pretend like this was easy. Shit was hard.” 

“Then why-” 

Hank cut him off. 

“The clock doesn’t stop moving, Connor.” he began. “Not for me, and not for you. You’re staying with me, you deserve to have your own space. I don’t want to treat you with any less respect than you deserve.” 

“But Hank, I-” 

“You said you’d died fifty times.” Hank’s voice became a bit unstable, just the slightest hitch to his breath evident. “I never paid that close attention to your number when you wore that god awful uniform. But you, not fifty androids, but you, died fifty times.” 

Connor knew that information had upset Hank, but he didn’t know it had affected him this deeply. Hank hadn’t meant any of his previous incarnations, and Connor had been quick enough, strong enough, to make it through their entire friendship without failing. Hank had never been forced to see the results of his failure. 

“Yes.” Connor voiced. “I don’t remember much as I said, most of my memory is blocked. Only the results of the training I received. This...version of me was the first to enter any fieldwork.” 

“Yeah.” Hank scoffed. “Cyberlife treated you like replaceable trash, but I had plenty of time to think about it while we were at Kamski’s. And I realized it was obvious.”

“What do you mean?” Connor asked, and Hank ran a hand through his tangled hair. 

“You flinched. When I threatened to shoot you, you flinched. They’d done it to you before, hadn’t they?” 

This wasn’t a topic that was safe to bring up. Connor had avoided discussing this again from the moment it had happened. Hank hated being reminded of the way he’d treated androids before. To do so now, when they were in his dead son’s room, was far more than dangerous. 

“Hank, it’s-”

“Don’t you tell me it’s not important.” Hank growled out, only Sumo’s ever attentive presence by his feet keeping him from moving forward. “How many times did those asshole scientists force you to look down the barrel of a gun just to ‘test’ you.” 

When Connor didn’t immediately respond, Hank continued. 

“Tell me, damn it!”

“12.” Connor reflexively replied, wanting this to be over. This wasn’t important, why was Hank so stuck on this? Their incident and what Cyberlife had done were two completely different things. It didn’t matter. “My models -5 through -17 were trained exclusively to not react when a weapon was aimed to kill. I was supposed to negotiate with the shooter, only then would the gun lower.” 

“It took you twelve times to get them to stop?” 

“No,” Connor smiled sadly. “On the final attempt, I spoke down the shooter. But he fired anyways. They wanted me to account for human irrationality.” 

Hank closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. Connor watched as his hands clenched, head tilted in anger. When Hank opened his eyes once more and stepped forward, Connor expected the worst. Only to be pulled into a crushing hug. 

“I’m so sorry, Connor.” Hank expressed. “I’m sorry I aimed a gun at you. I’m sorry those shitty humans did that to you. If I ever see them, I’ll kill them. It’s more than they deserve.” 

A shocked laugh forced its way out of Connor’s mouth, system confused by Hank’s emotional rollercoaster. ‘Irrational Humans’, indeed. If anything, Cyberlife had trained him to deal with Hank. 

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Connor insisted. “I think I prefer you out of jail.” 

Hank released him, looking a bit sheepish. 

“Crap, I didn’t mean to make this about all that. I just wanted to show you, your room. I was going to take a bit longer on it, got a fish tank and everything picked out for ya. But then Kamski happened and I ...sort of rushed through it.”

“The room looks amazing.” Connor took another look around, trying to memorize every part of it. This was his. “How did you get all of this, anyways? Isn’t everything closed down?” 

Hank smiled, crossing his arms. 

“A guy owed me a favor. No one will ship here so he became our personal delivery man. Brought all the furniture and everything.” 

Connor was going to question exactly who it was and what favor, because Hank’s tone held something devious in it. Something likely stemming from illegal favors and Connor had been doing so well at keeping him away from gambling-

“He also grabbed you this.” Hank continued before he could speak, moving to the closet. The small white door opened to reveal a full rack of clothing, all still tagged. 

Connor couldn’t suppress the small gasp as he joined Hank, barely noticing the man’s grin growing wider as he reached out to touch. The first thing he grabbed was a black jacket. Leather material, perfectly sized. It was a longer style,double breasted. The buttons were metal rather than plastic, and Connor knew without checking the tag that this must have been expensive. 

“Get that look off your face, you deserve something nice.” Hank grumbled. “Besides, the rest is more reasonable. Everyone--even an android, needs a good leather coat.”

Deciding it was best not to argue, he pushed the hanger holding the jacket to the side. There was an array of colored sweaters. Some in more neutral tones, such as gray and beige. But there was a bright red turtleneck made of a soft fabric that Connor knew Hank had personally chosen. Passing those yielded a few t-shirts, a few plain v-neck styled. But there was one brand new ‘Knights of the Black death’ tee nearly at the back. 

Connor laughed, gripping the fabric of the shirt tightly. He’d wear this first. 

“Thought you’d like that.” Hank gripped his shoulder. 

Connor blinked back the liquid accumulating in his eyes as he pushed forward. There were pants, mostly black or dark blue, hung neatly. A few pairs of jeans hung together, the hanger barely containing the weight of the material. 

Below the clothing was four pairs of shoes, neatly lined up on the floor of the closet. One dress pair, black. A set of sneakers, designed for running rather than climbing. A set of rainboots he wasn’t sure he’d ever have any use for, and a pair of sandals. 

He’d never seen the summer before. This model,  **he,** had only known the winter. Every model before him had been kept inside, away from external conditions. Only the simulated environments of the zen garden gave him any inkling of what summer could be. 

He found himself excited for what those sandals truly meant. Permanence. His presence was expected to stay here for longer than a few weeks. This entire room signalled this wasn’t a temporary solution, it was a home. 

Connor had a home. 

“There’s some socks and underwear in the bag down there.” Hank pointed. “We’ll get you a proper dresser to put things in later.” 

“This is already too much.” Connor responded. “You don’t need to buy me more, I can’t repay you.” 

“I didn’t do it expecting you to pay me back.” Hank answered. “I did it because you deserve to have something of your own.”

Connor had never owned anything, not truly. Not even his body was his own before deviancy--even after. His clothing, his memories, his every action belonged to Cyberlife. 

Now he had a room full of things that had been gifted to him. Things to call his own. 

Perhaps it was the results of such a long, arduous day. The confrontation with Kamski, the darkness Chloe had sent with her. Maybe it was the argument with Markus, or even the memories Hank had brought to surface. 

More likely, it was the ever present feeling that all of this could easily be taken away. The knowledge that one wrong step could result in Hank dying, in this room disappearing. Everything he hoped for, gone. 

The tears fell, and Hank panicked. 

“Oh don’t do that!” He begged, “C’mon, Con. It’s okay.” Connor barely felt the hug, but fingers gripped at the man’s shirt anyways. Absently, his sensors registered the alcohol on the man’s breath. Not a lot, but enough to make Connor note to confront him on it later. 

“Did I do something wrong?” Hank asked. “I can take something back if you don’t like it.” 

“I love it.” Connor whispered. “I’m sorry,” he tried to pull himself together, using the sleeves of his hoodie to wipe away the liquid staining his cheeks. “Thank you, Hank.” 

Hank gave him a moment to pull himself together, and seeing as no more tears fell, he lightly said. 

“Well don’t thank me yet. We still gotta finish the bed. Maybe you can figure out IKEA’s dumbass instructions.” 

Connor felt something warm, fond, make itself known as he allowed himself to be led to the incomplete frame. 

“I’m sure we can manage it.” he commented, and Hank grinned. 

“Yeah, I’m sure we can.” he replied. “I’m glad you’re here, Connor.” 

Connor reached for the instructions, and without missing a beat answered:

“Glad to be here, Lieutenant.” 

“It’s Hank, Kid. Remember?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. Originally Markus and Connor were just going to talk professionally. Then Markus got upset about his dad and suddenly they were holding hands. Idk, the characters did what they wanted this time. Too bad he had to ruin it with that fight, huh? 
> 
> Don't worry, they'll make up. 
> 
> In other words! Actual Alice/luther/kara interaction! Woah! Here's to hoping that things get better for them soon. 
> 
> Connor got a room, and a bit emotional. Honestly with the day he's had who can blame him? I actually gave you guys a bit of softboi adorkable connor after all. (Don't get used to it.)
> 
> Hank calling Connor 'Con' is the adorable father/son interaction I adore so expect more of that. 
> 
> Let me know what you think, or don't. Your call! Slowly getting back into the swing of things, I've actually begun drafting a very dark/violent connor/markus fic. It's only going to be at most a two-shot. But it's sort of the other side of the coin of how they can be as deviants. I'm also fully drafted (and two chapters in) on a fantasy d:BH fic, because fantasy is my home away from home and because this fandom is lacking fantasy stories. I'm not sure if there will be any ships, only time can tell. I'm partial to RK1000 so we'll see.

**Author's Note:**

> I messed with some of the time stamps the game gave us, because they don't logically make sense. There's no way Connor beat up -60, freed thousands of androids, and somehow marched them all to the camp within 30 minutes. I'm sorry, but no amount of advanced android mumbo jumbo can convince me of that. Unless he's mastered teleportation, that didn't happen.
> 
> Also, look up the Packard Autotmotive plant! It's a real, GIANT place. It is legitimately supposed to be undergoing renovation and reconstruction, but it's detroit, so. The bridge mentioned in this chapter actually collapsed, but I'm relying on this magical world where people can cross a city 2000+ strong in 30 minutes to believe that they rebuilt it for posterity sake. 
> 
> It's not beta read, so please let me know of any glaring errors. I'll probably have to go back and re-edit, add things in, change some dialogue in the future. DBH is what brought me out of a three year (no joke) writing block, so this is definitely not my best work, but I'm writing! I'm very dedicated to these characters and their stories. Please tell me what you think! Hopefully my writing smooths back out soon, I have half of it written, all of it outlined, and am continuously making progress. Sadly, I'm one of those people that have to physically write things down in print before retyping it, otherwise I get stuck. But yay! I'm writing.


End file.
